What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

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	Fall River	Arlington
People
Population	94,082Highest	2,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.2Highest about the U.S. average	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.
	Fall River and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Arlington and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±0.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fall River and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,673±$3kLowest 30% below U.S.	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$395,500±$11kHighest 19% above U.S.	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,191±$172Highest 16% below U.S.
	Arlington and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,953Lowest 27% above U.S.	$4,549Highest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#262 of 282 in MA	#50 of 70 in VT
School district	Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical	Arlington School District
High school in town	B M C Durfee High	Arlington Memorial
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.6Lowest
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.