What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Smithfield has the most people working from home (14%).

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	Windham	Smithfield
People
Population	23,961Highest	22,233Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.	41.8±2.6Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithfield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$69Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Windham and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S.	$5,207Highest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±8.1 U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±17.7 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#143 of 149 in CT	#8 of 38 in RI
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Smithfield
High school in town	Windham High School	Smithfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.8Highest
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.