Foster makes Rhode Island’s top 10 on 4 lists
Foster is ranked on 38 lists against the 38 Rhode Island towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 4 and the top quarter on 4.
More snow than 100% of Rhode Island
Not better or worse, just Foster’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Foster does best on
Each list ranks every RI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Foster marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for household income
Lists where Foster sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Foster lands in the top half on 8 of 25 lists
Each dot is Foster’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in RI, the right end is last. Areas where Foster does best come first.
Foster out-ranks 2 of its 5 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every RI list, and where Foster lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Safety
Safest#1 Glocester · 3.3
#5 
Health
Healthiest#1 Barrington · 98 / 100
#26
Lowest obesity#1 Barrington · 25%
#23
Fewest smokers#1 Jamestown · 7%
#17
Most active#1 Barrington · 16%
#24
Fewest uninsured#1 Jamestown · 3%
#9
Lowest depression#1 Jamestown · 21%
#21
Closest to a top hospital#1 Providence · 0.0 mi
#38 People
Most educated#1 Barrington · 73%
#21
Youngest#1 Central Falls · 32.5
#29
Oldest#1 Little Compton · 60.3
#10
Most residents 65+#1 Little Compton · 39.5%
#29
Most kids#1 Barrington · 26.5%
#18 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Woonsocket · 3.5 yrs
#17
Cheapest rent#1 Smithfield · $1,016/mo
#28
Lowest property tax#1 Charlestown · $3,365/yr
#36
Rent easiest to afford#1 Tiverton · 31.4%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Charlestown · 33%
#17
Most new homes#1 Little Compton · 3.6 per 1,000
#24
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Newport · +83.2%
#28
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Central Falls · 213.8 per home
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 West Greenwich · 50.8%
#18
Most trails#1 West Greenwich · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#34
Most walkable#1 Pawtucket · 212 / sq mi
#38 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Westerly · 9.7 per resident
#26
Most library borrowing#1 Barrington · 19.6 per resident
#24
Best libraries for kids#1 Narragansett · 32.7 per child
#23 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Newport · 18.9 min
#34 
The number on the right is Foster’s spot. All of Rhode Island’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every RI list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.