What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peabody has the most expensive homes ($596k median).

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	Peabody
People
Population	43,521Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	45.3±2.4Highest 16% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Peabody 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.	$96,657±$4kHighest 20% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$5,065Highest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	65.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Peabody
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	10.3Lowest
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.