What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Melrose has the most people working from home (29.6%).

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	Melrose
People
Population	43,521Highest	29,650Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	43.6±1.1Highest 12% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	20.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Melrose 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 24% below U.S.	$133,953±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$822,900±$20kHighest 147% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,970±$149Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$7,578Highest 143% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.3%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Melrose 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%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Highest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#62 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Melrose
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Melrose High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	12.8Lowest
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.