What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westerly has the oldest population (median age 52.2).

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	Westerly	Cumberland
People
Population	23,333Lowest	36,820Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+8.7%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	52.2±2.4Highest 29% above RI	43.5±1.2Lowest 7% above RI
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.1Lowest RI: 18.8%	23.4%±2.4Highest RI: 18.8%
Age 65+	26.4%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%	18.9%±1.7Lowest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Highest RI: 37.7%	44.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.5Highest RI: 8.3%	3.1%±0.7Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Westerly and Cumberland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,875±$5kLowest 13% above RI	$117,522±$8kHighest 34% above RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$466,600±$15kHighest 15% above RI	$431,000±$15kLowest 7% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,257±$131Lowest 6% below RI	$1,379±$109Highest about the RI average
	Cumberland and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 21% below RI	$4,870Highest about the RI average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±10.4Lowest RI: 48%	47.9%±9.2Highest RI: 48%
	Cumberland and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest RI: 11.2%	3.9%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.7%Lowest RI: 63.6%	76.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 11 yrs newer than RI	1972Lowest 10 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 5% below RI	26 minHighest 3% above RI
Work from home	11.5%±2.5Lowest RI: 13%	14.8%±2.4Highest RI: 13%
	Cumberland and Westerly 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	#25 of 38 in RI	#18 of 38 in RI
School district	Westerly	Blackstone Valley Prep A RI Mayoral Academy · Cumberland
High school in town	Westerly High School	Cumberland High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	13.6Highest
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.