What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Woonsocket	Pelham
People
Population	43,521Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Pelham 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%	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pelham 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%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham 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.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
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%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 38 in RI	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Pelham School District
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	10.4Lowest
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.