What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

Palmer Town has the most homeowners (71.5%).

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	Palmer Town
People
Population	43,521Highest	12,381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	47.8±5.6Highest 23% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	15.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	23.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Palmer Town 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.	$78,480±$8kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.	$271,400±$21kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S.	$1,075±$103Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$4,540Highest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±10.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Palmer Town 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%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1962Highest 18 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Palmer Town and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#252 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Pathfinder Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	9.9Lowest
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.