What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westerly has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.3%).

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	Scituate
People
Population	23,333Highest	10,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest RI: +4.3%	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	52.2±2.4Highest 29% above RI	49.9±4Lowest 23% above RI
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.1Lowest RI: 18.8%	14.9%±3.3Highest RI: 18.8%
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%	25.2%±4.3Lowest RI: 18.7%
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Highest RI: 37.7%	34.7%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.5Highest RI: 8.3%	4.2%±1.7Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Westerly and Scituate 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	$112,315±$23kHighest 28% above RI
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$466,600±$15kHighest 15% above RI	$449,300±$26kLowest 11% above RI
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,257±$131Lowest 6% below RI	$1,489±$251Highest 11% above RI
	Scituate 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	$5,265Highest 7% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±10.4Lowest RI: 48%	59.6%±25.9Highest RI: 48%
	Scituate 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%	5%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.7%Lowest RI: 63.6%	87.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 11 yrs newer than RI	1966Lowest 4 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 5% below RI	31 minHighest 20% above RI
Work from home	11.5%±2.5Lowest RI: 13%	13.3%±5.1Highest RI: 13%
	Scituate 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	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Westerly	Scituate
High school in town	Westerly High School	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	10.8Highest
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.