What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

Middleborough has the most people working from home (13.6%).

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	Middleborough
People
Population	43,521Highest	24,505Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	43.4±2.1Highest 12% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	32%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Middleborough 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.	$97,056±$7kHighest 20% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$468,700±$18kHighest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,706±$72Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$6,023Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.2%±11.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Middleborough 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%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	76.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#170 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Middleborough
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Middleborough High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	11.3Lowest
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.