Compare towns
Fall River vs Bow 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
Fall River has the most affordable homes ($396k median).
Bow has the most people working from home (22.7%).
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 | Fall River | Bow | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
8,335Lowest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+9.4% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S. |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Bow and Fall River 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% |
25%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Lawrence and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bow and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bow and Lawrence 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. |
$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,539±$178 9% above U.S. |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Lawrence and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 27% above U.S. |
$9,584Highest 207% above U.S. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
27 minHighest about the U.S. average |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #26 of 120 in NH | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Bow School District | Lawrence |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Bow High School | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
12.8 |
13.6Highest |
| 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.