Compare towns
Woonsocket vs Ware vs Gardner
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).
Ware has the most homeowners (72.3%).
Gardner has the most people working from home (13.3%).
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 | Ware | Gardner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 43,521Highest |
10,048Lowest |
21,148 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S. |
43.1±4.7 11% above U.S. |
43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S. |
| Gardner and Ware 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% |
19.1%±3.5 U.S.: 22% |
18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Woonsocket and Ware 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% |
20.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.6%±2.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Ware and Gardner 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% |
24%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
23.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.6%±1.3 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Woonsocket and Gardner 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. |
$67,475±$15k 16% below U.S. |
$67,518±$8kHighest 16% below U.S. |
| Gardner and Ware 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. |
$289,700±$28kLowest 13% below U.S. |
$301,600±$20k 9% below U.S. |
| Woonsocket and Gardner 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. |
$1,043±$109Lowest 26% below U.S. |
$1,109±$51 22% below U.S. |
| Woonsocket and Gardner 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. |
$4,237Highest 36% above U.S. |
$4,150 33% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
49.7%±8.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ware and Gardner 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% |
11.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
13.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
72.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
58.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S. |
1960Highest 20 yrs older than U.S. |
1954 26 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 11% above U.S. |
28 minLowest 8% above U.S. |
31 minHighest 16% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.3%±3.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Gardner and Ware 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 | #267 of 282 in MA | #273 of 282 in MA |
| School district | RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket | Ware | Gardner |
| High school in town | Woonsocket High School | Ware Junior/Senior High School | Gardner High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 15.2Highest |
11.1Lowest |
13.5 |
| 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.