What stands out worked out from the figures below

Valley Falls has the most affordable homes ($375k median).

Cumberland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.7%).

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	Valley Falls	Cumberland
People
Population	12,657Lowest	36,820Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+8.7%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	41.7±3.5Lowest about the RI average	43.5±1.2Highest 7% above RI
	Cumberland and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25%±4.4Highest RI: 18.8%	23.4%±2.4Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Valley Falls and Cumberland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Lowest RI: 18.7%	18.9%±1.7Highest RI: 18.7%
	Cumberland and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Lowest RI: 37.7%	44.8%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±0.8Lowest RI: 8.3%	3.1%±0.7Highest RI: 8.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,901±$17kLowest 6% above RI	$117,522±$8kHighest 34% above RI
	Cumberland and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$375,200±$19kLowest 7% below RI	$431,000±$15kHighest 7% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,362±$142Lowest about the RI average	$1,379±$109Highest about the RI average
	Cumberland and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,397Lowest 10% below RI	$4,870Highest about the RI average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.4%±17.7Lowest RI: 48%	47.9%±9.2Highest RI: 48%
	Cumberland and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Highest RI: 11.2%	3.9%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest RI: 63.6%	76.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr newer than RI	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 9% below RI	26 minHighest 3% above RI
Work from home	9.9%±4.4Lowest RI: 13%	14.8%±2.4Highest RI: 13%
	Cumberland and Valley Falls 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	—	#18 of 38 in RI
School district	—	Blackstone Valley Prep A RI Mayoral Academy · Cumberland
High school in town	—	Cumberland High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.6
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.