Compare towns
Woonsocket vs Thomaston vs Plainville
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).
Plainville has the most people working from home (10.7%).
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.
| Measure | Woonsocket | Thomaston | Plainville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 43,521Highest |
7,492Lowest |
17,551 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5% U.S.: +7.4% |
— | — |
| Median age | 35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S. |
41.5±7.7 7% above U.S. |
44.3±1.5Highest 14% above U.S. |
| Plainville 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%±2.3Lowest 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% |
20.1%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Plainville 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% |
30% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.5%±2.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.2%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Plainville and Thomaston 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. |
$84,343±$7k 4% above U.S. |
| Thomaston and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S. |
$282,600±$23k 15% below U.S. |
$254,000±$14kLowest 24% 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. |
$1,126±$147 20% below U.S. |
| Woonsocket and Plainville 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. |
$4,798 54% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.7%±5.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40.3%±12.4Lowest 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% |
6.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
77.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
67.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 11% above U.S. |
27 min about the U.S. average |
21 minLowest 20% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.6%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
10.7%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Plainville 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 | #89 of 149 in CT |
| School district | RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket | Thomaston School District | Judicial Centers · Plainville School District |
| High school in town | Woonsocket High School | Thomaston High School | Plainville High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 15.2Highest |
10.7Lowest |
11.4 |
| 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.