What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Windham
People
Population	22,233Lowest	23,961Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.8±2.6Highest 7% above U.S.	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham 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%	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	15.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithfield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,107±$69Highest 22% below U.S.
	Windham and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Highest 67% above U.S.	$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7 U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±8.1 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 38 in RI	#143 of 149 in CT
School district	Smithfield	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	9.8Lowest
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.