Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Woonsocket earns a D−, better than 4% of U.S. towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools trail 95% of Rhode Island towns on state tests and graduation. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 80% of the country. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. No town in Rhode Island scores lower than Woonsocket on safety. Its National Register listings include Woonsocket Company Mill Complex (Additional Documentation) and Harris Warehouse. Only 2 of Rhode Island’s 39 towns score lower on incomes.
Where Woonsocket beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Woonsocket Company Mill Complex (Additional Documentation)| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pothier-Citizens Elem Campus | PK–5 | 669 |
| RISE Prep Mayoral Academy | K–8 | 573 |
| Globe Park School | PK–5 | 519 |
Census counts: 11,527 in 1870, 43,240 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1761 and 5 maps from 1889 on.
45 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Woonsocket is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Woonsocket. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw18 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw38 mi MuseumThe Breakers
Big draw31 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
27 mi MuseumUSS MassachusettsGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Woonsocket, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Woonsocket.
Woonsocket has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Rhode Island, sends many workers across the state line to Franklin Town and is safe by national standards but not by Rhode Island’s.
Its public schools are run by the Woonsocket school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pothier-Citizens Elem CampusLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 669 | D− |
| Woonsocket High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,646 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
34% of Woonsocket adults get no exercise outside work, above both the Rhode Island town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (25%). 41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Woonsocket. Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Woonsocket.
| Woonsocket | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 10% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Woonsocket | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6.0 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cass Park, at 74 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cass Park | 0.9 mi | 74 |
| 2. World War II Veterans Memorial State Park | 0.7 mi | 60 |
| 3. Costa Park | 0.7 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
39% of working residents cross a state line to work, Franklin Town among the top destinations.
Woonsocket’s median household income is $61,000, against $105,000 in Rhode Island’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. 19% of Woonsocket residents live below the poverty line. Only 1 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a lower share of workers working from home than Woonsocket.
| Woonsocket | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 6.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $105,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 31 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 100% of Rhode Island’s graded towns. Violent crime runs at 3.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Rhode Island rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C.
The violent crime rate in Woonsocket is 3.7 per 1,000 residents. Among 35 Rhode Island towns, just 1 have a higher property crime rate than Woonsocket.
| Woonsocket | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Woonsocket home is worth about $388,000, about the same as a year ago, 24% below the Rhode Island typical home. Only 2 of the 37 Rhode Island towns we compare have a lower median rent than Woonsocket.
| Woonsocket | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,161 a month | $1,371 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 49% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 83.3°, the #2 highest of 67 Rhode Island places with climate records; January nights average 18.4°. The Woonsocket weather station records that about 14 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 67 Rhode Island places with climate records.
Woonsocket has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. No town among the 38 in Rhode Island we compare has a higher July high than Woonsocket. About 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Woonsocket | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 18°F | 22°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Woonsocket.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of Woonsocket
About 5 of every 100 Woonsocket residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Where Woonsocket’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
45 places in Woonsocket on the National Register of Historic Places.
38 notable people were born in Woonsocket.
City in Rhode Island, United States
Woonsocket ( wuun-SOK-it, wən-), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts state line and constitutes part of both the Providence metropolitan area and the larger Greater Boston Combined Statistical Area. The city is the corporate headquarters of CVS Health, a pharmacy services provider. It is home to Landmark Medical Center, the Museum of Work and Culture, and the American-French Genealogical Society.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Woonsocket.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woonsocket | #37 | D− | C | C | D | C− |
| North Smithfield | #19 | A− | C− | B | A− | A− |
| Cumberland | #9 | A | C− | A | A− | A− |
| Cumberland Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Cumberland Hill isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Woonsocket with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Woonsocket grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns. It grades C− for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Rhode Island has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Woonsocket sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($87,040 across the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
38 notable people were born here, including Bryan Berard and J. Howard McGrath.
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