Compare towns
Dartmouth vs New Bedford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dartmouth has the most people working from home (12.4%).
New Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.3%).
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 | Dartmouth | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 33,328Lowest |
100,998Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.5±2Highest 6% above MA |
37±0.8Lowest 8% below MA |
| Kids under 18 | 14.6%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
23.9%±1.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 21%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9% |
15.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 39%Highest MA: 47.3% |
17%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 14.3%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9% |
4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $99,839±$8kHighest 4% below MA |
$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $496,500±$20kHighest 12% below MA |
$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,462±$159Highest 17% below MA |
$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,263Lowest 29% below MA |
$4,338Highest 28% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 54%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8% |
52.6%±3.2Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Dartmouth and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 6.3%Lowest MA: 10% |
20.6%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 76%Highest MA: 62.5% |
40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA |
1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 9% below MA |
25 minLowest 15% below MA |
| Work from home | 12.4%±2.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #115 of 282 in MA | #263 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Dartmouth | New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Dartmouth High | New Bedford High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.9Lowest |
13.5Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet |
MA 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.