What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has the most affordable homes ($311k median).

Lowell has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Lowell
People
Population	43,521Lowest	118,368Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Highest 8% below U.S.	35.6±0.8Lowest 8% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	21.7%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	12.6%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Woonsocket and Lowell 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 U.S.: 35.7%	30%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	9.7%±0.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.	$78,658±$4kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$429,200±$11kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,625±$40Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$4,499Highest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.4%±3.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lowell and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	16.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	43.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1953Highest 27 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#255 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Lowell
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Lowell High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	14.8Lowest
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.