Compare towns
Fall River vs Brookline 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).
Brookline has the most people working from home (24.7%).
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 | Brookline | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
5,736Lowest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+13% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
41.2±1.5Highest 6% above U.S. |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Brookline 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% |
26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6 U.S.: 22% |
| Brookline and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
11.4%±2.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Brookline 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. |
$171,046±$4kHighest 112% above U.S. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S. |
$1,662±$50 18% above U.S. |
| Brookline and Lawrence 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. |
$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
95.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 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 |
33 minHighest 26% above U.S. |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
24.7%±5.8Highest 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 | #23 of 120 in NH | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Brookline School District | Lawrence |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | None in town | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
— | 13.6Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.