Compare towns
Brewer vs Fall River vs Lawrence
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brewer has the most homeowners (59.7%).
Fall River has the most people working from home (7.1%).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
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.
| Measure | Brewer | Fall River | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Lowest |
94,082Highest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Highest 3% above U.S. |
39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Brewer and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3 U.S.: 22% |
19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Lawrence and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Brewer and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S. |
$56,673±$3kLowest 30% below U.S. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
| Brewer and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S. |
$395,500±$11k 19% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S. |
| Lawrence and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S. |
$1,155±$27 18% below U.S. |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374Lowest 8% above U.S. |
$3,953Highest 27% above U.S. |
$3,422 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
52.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Lawrence and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 36% below U.S. |
26 minHighest about the U.S. average |
23 min 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.1%±1.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Fall River and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #32 of 133 in ME | #262 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Lawrence |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | B M C Durfee High | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Highest |
11.3Lowest |
13.6 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.