Compare towns
Woonsocket vs Palmer Town vs Cumberland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).
Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k median).
Cumberland has the most people working from home (14.8%).
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.
| Measure | Woonsocket | Palmer Town | Cumberland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 43,521Highest |
12,381Lowest |
36,820 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S. |
47.8±5.6Highest 23% above U.S. |
43.5±1.2 12% above U.S. |
| Palmer Town and Cumberland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 23.3%±2 U.S.: 22% |
15.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
23.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Cumberland 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% |
20.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
18.9%±1.7 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Palmer Town and Cumberland 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% |
23.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.1%±0.7Lowest 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±$8k about the U.S. average |
$117,522±$8kHighest 46% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $311,000±$15k 7% below U.S. |
$271,400±$21kLowest 18% below U.S. |
$431,000±$15kHighest 30% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,161±$48 18% below U.S. |
$1,075±$103Lowest 24% below U.S. |
$1,379±$109Highest about the U.S. average |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,960Lowest 27% above U.S. |
$4,540 46% above U.S. |
$4,870Highest 56% 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% |
47.9%±9.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Palmer Town and Cumberland 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% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
71.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
76.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S. |
1962 18 yrs older than U.S. |
1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 11% above U.S. |
31 minHighest 19% above U.S. |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.3%±2.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
14.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #37 of 38 in RI | #252 of 282 in MA | #18 of 38 in RI |
| School district | RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical | Blackstone Valley Prep A RI Mayoral Academy · Cumberland |
| High school in town | Woonsocket High School | Pathfinder Vocational Technical | Cumberland High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 15.2Highest |
9.9Lowest |
13.6 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.