What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the most people working from home (18.4%).

Pawtucket has the most renters (49.9% 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	Suffield	Pawtucket
People
Population	15,702Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Suffield and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 min 3% below U.S.	26 min 3% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Suffield School District	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Suffield High School	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	14.6Highest
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.