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Place dossier plate
SheetRI-WOONSOCKET-RI · Woonsocket, RI 43,074 pop · income 33rd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Woonsocket
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Woonsocket on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Central Falls · lowest
45,921
Central Falls · lowest
45,921 median HH income
35.9% of the leader · rank #1
Lawrenceville · near
58,606
Lawrenceville · near
58,606 median HH income
45.9% of the leader · rank #2
Archer City · near
58,607
Archer City · near
58,607 median HH income
45.9% of the leader · rank #3
Owen · near
58,611
Owen · near
58,611 median HH income
45.9% of the leader · rank #4
Woonsocket · this city
58,614
Woonsocket · this city
58,614 median HH income
45.9% of the leader · rank #5
Apache Juncti… · near
58,619
Apache Juncti… · near
58,619 median HH income
45.9% of the leader · rank #6
West Babylon · highest
127,785
West Babylon · highest
127,785 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Woonsocket on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 43,074.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Woonsocket - the verdict
Nationally, Woonsocket sits in the 33rd percentile for household income and the 35th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
33rd
percentile, household income
59th
percentile, home value
86th
percentile, median rent
35th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Woonsocket, RI
Woonsocket is a small city in Rhode Island, home to 43,074 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Woonsocket households earn a median of $58,614 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 15.7%. Home values in Woonsocket run a median of $268,000, and the median resident age is 35.7 years. About 18.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 26 residential building permits were authorized in Woonsocket (Rapid Growth), up 37% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1891.4 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 51.1°F with 51.9 inches of precipitation per year and 41.5 inches of snowfall.
Rhode Island tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Rhode Island at 102.3 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,729 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Rhode Island run around $318, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 56.6 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Woonsocket's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to schools and households to climate and hazard context to housing and income to population change to reported crime to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Woonsocket, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Woonsocket?
Within Rhode Island, the closest population matches are East Providence (46,970 residents, $79,660 income); Newport (25,029 residents, $83,562 income); Central Falls (22,481 residents, $45,921 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sumter, SC (43,065 residents); North Miami Beach, FL (43,104 residents); Schertz, TX (43,128 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What does the education layer cover for Woonsocket?
The NCES join finds 12 public schools within the city match. 18.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What physical conditions frame life in Woonsocket?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 51.1°F, with 51.9 inches of precipitation and 41.5 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Rhode Island is 56.6 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
How far does income reach against housing in Woonsocket?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 15.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Woonsocket growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,420 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 26 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+3.3%
2025 estimate
44,580
2020 estimate
43,160
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Woonsocket?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1891.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 17% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1500.8
Violent rate
390.6
Total reported rate
1891.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Woonsocket?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
1.9%
Work from home
4.5%
Drive alone
76.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 18,905 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 15.7% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
102.3 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Rhode Island average
F
City profile score · Woonsocket, RI
28/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income F
$58,614
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
18.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living F
102.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
391 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
15.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Woonsocket profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 33/100 (F) · $58,614
Bachelor's+ share: 30/100 (F) · 18.6%
Cost of living: 30/100 (F) · 102.3 index
Violent crime: 23/100 (F) · 391 /100k
Poverty rate: 21/100 (F) · 15.7%
Where Woonsocket sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Woonsocket's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Woonsocket highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Woonsocket, RI (this city): home $268,000, crime 1,891/100k
Sumter, SC : home $188,400, crime 4,804/100k
North Miami Beach, FL : home $317,800, crime 3,495/100k
Schertz, TX : home $292,100, crime 1,041/100k
Hollister, CA : home $679,300, crime 1,164/100k
Delaware, OH : home $279,400, crime 1,137/100k
East Providence, RI : home $322,100, crime 755/100k
Newport, RI : home $669,500, crime 1,667/100k
Central Falls, RI : home $300,500, crime 1,329/100k
Westerly, RI : home $400,200, crime 977/100k
How does Woonsocket compare to other US cities?
Here's how Woonsocket stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income33% higher than other cities
Home value59% pricier than other cities
Median rent86% pricier than other cities
Safety35% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Rhode Island and the picture shifts: Woonsocket ranks #10 of 11 Rhode Island cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Woonsocket against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Rhode Island only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Rhode Island-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Woonsocket near the bottom of Rhode Island's cities
Among the 36 Rhode Island cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Woonsocket ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Woonsocket only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#31 of 33
6th percentile in Rhode Island
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 36
0th percentile in Rhode Island
Median Home Value
#33 of 35
6th percentile in Rhode Island
Poverty Rate
#2 of 36
94th percentile in Rhode Island
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#33 of 36
8th percentile in Rhode Island
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Rhode Island only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
33rd percentile nationally for median household income · 35th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Woonsocket's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Woonsocket's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Woonsocket's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$268,00041st percentilemore affordable than 41% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Woonsocket's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,134 of 15,516
More affordable than 22% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,398 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.6×, Woonsocket sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,134 of 15,516 and #2,398 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$58,614Woonsocket, RI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Woonsocket, RI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Woonsocket, RI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)18.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)15.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)57.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
43,074
Median Income
$58,614
Median Home Value
$268,000
Median Age
35.7
Poverty Rate
15.7%
Labor force participation
57.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1891.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
390.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1500.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
51.1°F
Annual Precipitation
51.9"
Annual Snowfall
41.5"
Schools
Total Schools
12
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Woonsocket's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
43,160 residents
2021
43,071 residents
2022
43,233 residents
2023
43,440 residents
2024
44,411 residents
2025
44,580 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
26
housing units authorized
Single-Family
26
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
19
19
0
$2.8M
2020
35
35
0
$4.5M
2021
35
35
0
$6.0M
2022
18
18
0
$3.3M
2023
198
14
184
$22.9M
2024
26
26
0
$5.8M
Permit volume increased 37% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.3%
Carpool
11.2%
Public Transit
1.9%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
4.5%
Other
4.7%
Based on 18,905 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Rhode Island statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $318
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Rhode Island at $318 (electricity about $155 , water and sewer about $58 ).
These are Rhode Island statewide averages, not a meter reading for Woonsocket. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Rhode Island's BEA cost-of-living index is 102.3 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Woonsocket is $1,729/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Rhode Island statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 56.6 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Rhode Island statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Woonsocket sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Woonsocket compares to similar-size Rhode Island cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.