Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 47/100
D
Median home value$378,300
Providence $422,500
Median rent$1,375/mo
Providence $1,307/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
Providence 35%
Cranston
Providence County83,250 residentsCranston
59
C
Suburbgrade score
5th of 17 Providence suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
59
Providence median 57
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Cranston yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Cranston is like to live in, by category
Bars show Cranston against Providence. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Within-state proficiency49th pct
Providence median 40th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.3
Providence median 13.1
Graduation rate85%
Providence median 85%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index99
Providence 100
Eff. tax rate1.30%
Providence 1.09%
Local sales tax7.00%
Providence median 7.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Mean commute24.3 min
Providence 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes71%
Providence 63%
Transit stops / sq mi8.8
Providence median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 62/100
C
Restaurants & cafés38
Providence median 33 · within 2 miles
Groceries5
Providence median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks16
Providence median 28 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 51/100
D+
Median household income$90,206
Providence $87,040
Unemployment6.1%
Providence 5.7%
Professional occupations45%
Providence 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Cranston yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Cranston on housing & affordability
Cranston's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
North Attleborough Town16 mi from CranstonC 57 C− Somerset17 mi from CranstonC 59 C Newport22 mi from CranstonC 58 C Attleboro15 mi from CranstonC− 54 C− Newport East20 mi from CranstonC− 62 C Valley Falls12 mi from CranstonD+ 64 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Cranston
Is Cranston, RI a good place to live?
Cranston scores 59 out of 100, 5th of 17 Providence suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Cranston expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $378,300, 10% below the Providence median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.30%. $1,375/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Cranston?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Cranston sit at the 49th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 85% graduation rate and a 13.3 student–teacher ratio. Cranston is served by Cranston. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Cranston?
The mean commute is 24.3 min, with 71% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 13% working from home. Transit density is 8.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Cranston?
Within two miles there are 5 groceries, 38 restaurants and cafés and 16 parks, which grades C on amenities.
Are the homes in Cranston old or new?
The median home in Cranston was built in 1958 — close to the Providence median of 1962. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 66% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.