What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thomaston has the most homeowners (77.7%).

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	Thomaston	Woonsocket
People
Population	7,492Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±7.7Highest 7% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
	Thomaston and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,218±$15kHighest 28% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,915Highest 90% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	7.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thomaston 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	#106 of 149 in CT	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Thomaston School District	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Thomaston High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	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.