What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has the most people working from home (32.4%).

Fall River has the most renters (64.7% rent).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Amherst	Fall River
People
Population	11,861Lowest	94,082Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.	39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Amherst and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±0.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fall River and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kHighest 90% above U.S.	$56,673±$3kLowest 30% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 62% above U.S.	$395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Highest 3% above U.S.	$1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 213% above U.S.	$3,953Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#262 of 282 in MA
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	B M C Durfee High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	11.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.