What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the most people working from home (14%).

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Smithfield	Thomaston
People
Population	22,233Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.8±2.6Highest 7% above U.S.	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Smithfield and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Thomaston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithfield and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kLowest 26% above U.S.	$103,218±$15kHighest 28% above U.S.
	Thomaston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,037±$147Highest 27% below U.S.
	Thomaston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Lowest 67% above U.S.	$5,915Highest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Smithfield and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 38 in RI	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	Smithfield	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.