What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the most homeowners (79.5%).

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

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	Stafford	Woonsocket
People
Population	11,511Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,235±$16kHighest 15% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	11%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stafford and Woonsocket 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	#96 of 149 in CT	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Stafford School District	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Stafford High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	15.2Highest
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.