What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

Thomaston has the most homeowners (77.7%).

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	Thomaston
People
Population	43,521Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.	41.5±7.7Highest 7% above U.S.
	Thomaston and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Thomaston 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%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston 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%	34%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston 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.	$103,218±$15kHighest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S.	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Thomaston 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.	$5,915Highest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston 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%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thomaston 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	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Woonsocket High School	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.2Highest	10.7Lowest
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.