Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Median home value$448,800
Providence $422,500
Median rent$1,260/mo
Providence $1,307/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Providence 35%
Westerly
Washington County18,411 residentsWesterly
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
2nd of 17 Providence suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
64
Providence median 57
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Westerly yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 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 Westerly is like to live in, by category
Bars show Westerly against Providence. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 71/100
B−
Within-state proficiency62nd pct
Providence median 40th pct
Student–teacher ratio10.1
Providence median 13.1
Graduation rate91%
Providence median 85%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index94
Providence 100
Eff. tax rate0.86%
Providence 1.09%
Local sales tax7.00%
Providence median 7.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Mean commute22.9 min
Providence 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes71%
Providence 63%
Transit stops / sq mi1.0
Providence median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés38
Providence median 33 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Providence median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks19
Providence median 28 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median household income$95,207
Providence $87,040
Unemployment2.9%
Providence 5.7%
Professional occupations49%
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 Westerly 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 Westerly on housing & affordability
Westerly's weakest grade is D+.
Nothing within 25 miles beats Westerly on housing & affordability.
Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Westerly
Is Westerly, RI a good place to live?
Westerly scores 64 out of 100, 2nd 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 Westerly expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $448,800, 6% above the Providence median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.86%. $1,260/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Westerly?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Westerly sit at the 62nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 10.1 student–teacher ratio. Westerly is served by Westerly. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Westerly?
The mean commute is 22.9 min, with 71% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 10% working from home. Transit density is 1.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Westerly?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 38 restaurants and cafés and 19 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Westerly old or new?
The median home in Westerly was built in 1972 — newer than 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. 65% 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.