What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

Exeter has the most people working from home (17.2%).

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	Woonsocket	Exeter
People
Population	43,521Highest	7,195Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Highest RI: +4.3%	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 12% below RI	37.7±5.9Highest 7% below RI
	Exeter and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest RI: 18.8%	19.7%±4.7Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Woonsocket and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Lowest RI: 18.7%	18.2%±3.8Highest RI: 18.7%
	Exeter and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%	46.1%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Lowest RI: 8.3%	11.1%±6.3Highest RI: 8.3%
	Exeter and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,059±$5kLowest 30% below RI	$111,250±$30kHighest 27% above RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI	$509,200±$43kHighest 26% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 13% below RI	$1,317±$307Highest about the RI average
	Exeter and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 19% below RI	$5,881Highest 20% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest RI: 48%	91%±26.7Highest RI: 48%
Below poverty line	18.7%Highest RI: 11.2%	12.8%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6%	80.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 10 yrs older than RI	1987Highest 25 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 15% above RI	22 minLowest 12% below RI
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13%	17.2%±6.1Highest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#14 of 38 in RI
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Exeter-West Greenwich
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2	—
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.