Compare towns
Woonsocket vs Thomaston vs East Providence
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).
Thomaston has the highest household income ($103k).
East Providence has the most people working from home (12.4%).
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 | Thomaston | East Providence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 43,521 |
7,492Lowest |
47,281Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +0.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S. |
41.5±7.7 7% above U.S. |
45.1±2.4Highest 16% above U.S. |
| East Providence and Thomaston 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%±5.2 U.S.: 22% |
15.6%±1.8Lowest 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%±3.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
20.8%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| East Providence and Thomaston 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% |
31.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±0.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±1.2Lowest 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. |
$75,912±$8k 6% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $311,000±$15k 7% below U.S. |
$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S. |
$365,500±$10kHighest 10% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,161±$48 18% below U.S. |
$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S. |
$1,288±$75Highest 9% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,960Lowest 27% above U.S. |
$5,915Highest 90% above U.S. |
$4,545 46% 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% |
48.5%±6.5 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Thomaston and East Providence 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% |
10.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
77.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S. |
1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1958 22 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 11% above U.S. |
27 min about the U.S. average |
23 minLowest 14% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.6%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
12.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| East Providence and Thomaston 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 | #29 of 38 in RI |
| School district | RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket | Thomaston School District | East Providence |
| High school in town | Woonsocket High School | Thomaston High School | East Providence High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 15.2 |
10.7Lowest |
15.5Highest |
| 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.