What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Warwick has the most affordable homes ($331k median).

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	West Warwick	Needham
People
Population	31,173Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±1.5Lowest 10% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and West Warwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	West Warwick and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	West Warwick and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,608±$7kLowest 4% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,800±$12kLowest about the U.S. average	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,303±$74Lowest 8% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,962Lowest 59% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±7.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and West Warwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	7.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#33 of 38 in RI	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	West Warwick	Needham
High school in town	West Warwick High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.0Highest	11.9Lowest
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.