Cranston vs Springfield
The short version
- Springfield is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Cranston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $245,000 in Springfield and $378,300 in Cranston.
- Households earn more in Cranston ($90,206 vs $52,656 median).
- Springfield gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 37.
- Cranston is growing faster: +2.1% since 2020 vs -0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Springfield (20 vs 24 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Cranston, RI | Springfield, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 84,647 | 154,702 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.1% | -0.8% |
| People per square mile | 2,986 | 4,854 |
| Median age | 39.6 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 21% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $90,206 | $52,656 |
| Median home value | $378,300 | $245,000 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 4.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,375 | $1,144 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.8 | 96.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.9 | 75.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,300 | $72,000 |
| Homeowners | 68% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 5.99% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.3 | 20.2 |
| Work from home | 13% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 8.7% |
| Poverty rate | 10.2% | 25.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 22° | 35° / 19° |
| July high / low | 84° / 65° | 85° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 47 in |
| Snowfall per year | 37 in | 52 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 12 | 20 |
| Nights below freezing | 109 | 126 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.7 | 92.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 76% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.7% | +4.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +51.9% | +44.3% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Cranston: May to October. Springfield: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Cranston weather by month and Springfield weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,300 in Cranston and $72,000 in Springfield. Moving from Cranston to Springfield, you would need about $70,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cranston and Springfield
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cranston and Springfield.
Which would you pick?
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