What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

North Smithfield has the most people working from home (14.2%).

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	North Smithfield
People
Population	43,521Highest	12,708Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 12% below RI	45.5±3.9Highest 12% above RI
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest RI: 18.8%	19.2%±3.2Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Woonsocket and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Lowest RI: 18.7%	20.9%±2.8Highest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%	33.8%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3%	4.4%±1.3Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Woonsocket and North Smithfield 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 30% below RI	$108,866±$12kHighest 24% above RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI	$457,200±$21kHighest 13% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 13% below RI	$1,282±$531Highest 4% below RI
	North Smithfield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 19% below RI	$5,219Highest 7% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Highest RI: 48%	33.6%±11.4Lowest RI: 48%
	Woonsocket and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.7%Highest RI: 11.2%	4.8%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6%	77.9%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 10 yrs older than RI	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 15% above RI	26 minLowest 4% above RI
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13%	14.2%±3.6Highest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#13 of 38 in RI
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	North Smithfield
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	North Smitfield HS
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	12.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.