What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the most homeowners (81.6%).

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

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	Woonsocket
People
Population	22,233Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+5%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	41.8±2.6Highest about the RI average	35.7±1.3Lowest 12% below RI
Kids under 18	16.9%±2.4Lowest RI: 18.8%	23.3%±2Highest RI: 18.8%
Age 65+	21.1%±2.1Highest RI: 18.7%	14.7%±1.4Lowest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest RI: 37.7%	19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3%	5.1%±0.9Lowest RI: 8.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kHighest 16% above RI	$61,059±$5kLowest 30% below RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kHighest 10% above RI	$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 24% below RI	$1,161±$48Highest 13% below RI
	Woonsocket and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Highest 6% above RI	$3,960Lowest 19% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest RI: 48%	46.7%±5.4Lowest RI: 48%
	Smithfield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest RI: 11.2%	18.7%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest RI: 63.6%	37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 14 yrs newer than RI	1952Lowest 10 yrs older than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below RI	29 minHighest 15% above RI
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest RI: 13%	6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 38 in RI	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Smithfield	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Lowest	15.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.