What stands out worked out from the figures below

Warwick has the most affordable homes ($355k median).

North Smithfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Warwick	North Smithfield
People
Population	83,175Highest	12,708Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.2%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	44.3±1Lowest 9% above RI	45.5±3.9Highest 12% above RI
	North Smithfield and Warwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±1.1Lowest RI: 18.8%	19.2%±3.2Highest RI: 18.8%
	North Smithfield and Warwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±1.2Highest RI: 18.7%	20.9%±2.8Lowest RI: 18.7%
	Warwick and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.7%Lowest RI: 37.7%	33.8%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±0.7Highest RI: 8.3%	4.4%±1.3Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Warwick and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,708±$6kLowest about the RI average	$108,866±$12kHighest 24% above RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$354,600±$5kLowest 12% below RI	$457,200±$21kHighest 13% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,363±$76Highest about the RI average	$1,282±$531Lowest 4% below RI
	Warwick and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,616Lowest 6% below RI	$5,219Highest 7% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±6.1Highest RI: 48%	33.6%±11.4Lowest RI: 48%
Below poverty line	7.6%Highest RI: 11.2%	4.8%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.3%Lowest RI: 63.6%	77.9%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 1 yr older than RI	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below RI	26 minHighest 4% above RI
Work from home	12.4%±1.2Lowest RI: 13%	14.2%±3.6Highest RI: 13%
	North Smithfield and Warwick 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	#28 of 38 in RI	#13 of 38 in RI
School district	Warwick	North Smithfield
High school in town	Pilgrim High School	North Smitfield HS
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	12.1Highest
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.