What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Malden has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Malden
People
Population	43,521Lowest	65,906Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	35.8±1Highest 8% below U.S.
	Malden 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 U.S.: 22%	18.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Woonsocket and Malden 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%	45.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	9.1%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.	$100,606±$6kHighest 25% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$633,500±$26kHighest 90% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$2,204±$62Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$4,995Highest 60% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Malden 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%	11.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	41.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Highest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#184 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Malden
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Malden High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Lowest	16.1Highest
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.