What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Smithfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).

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	Smithfield
People
Population	83,175Highest	22,233Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.2%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+3.2%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	44.3±1Highest 9% above RI	41.8±2.6Lowest about the RI average
	Warwick and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±1.1Highest RI: 18.8%	16.9%±2.4Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Warwick and Smithfield 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%	21.1%±2.1Lowest RI: 18.7%
	Warwick and 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%	40%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±0.7Lowest RI: 8.3%	16.7%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,708±$6kLowest about the RI average	$102,077±$8kHighest 16% above RI
	Smithfield and Warwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$354,600±$5kLowest 12% below RI	$446,400±$12kHighest 10% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,363±$76Highest about the RI average	$1,016±$241Lowest 24% below RI
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,616Lowest 6% below RI	$5,207Highest 6% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±6.1Lowest RI: 48%	57.1%±17.7Highest RI: 48%
	Smithfield and Warwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.6%Highest RI: 11.2%	6.2%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.3%Lowest RI: 63.6%	81.6%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 1 yr older than RI	1976Highest 14 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 min 4% below RI	25 min 4% below RI
Work from home	12.4%±1.2Lowest RI: 13%	14%±3.1Highest RI: 13%
	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	#8 of 38 in RI
School district	Warwick	Smithfield
High school in town	Pilgrim High School	Smithfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.8Highest
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.