What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Needham
People
Population	43,521Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Needham and Woonsocket 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%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham 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 U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham 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 24% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham 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%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Needham
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	11.9Lowest
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.