Compare towns
Fall River vs Buzzards Bay
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Fall River has the most kids (19.9% under 18).
Buzzards Bay has the most people working from home (17.4%).
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 | Buzzards Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
2,909Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+10.9%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2Lowest about the MA average |
54.4±5.9Highest 36% above MA |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
6.7%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
32.3%±5.2Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
29.6%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
8.9%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $56,673±$3kLowest 45% below MA |
$94,388±$12kHighest 9% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 30% below MA |
$454,500±$28kHighest 19% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 34% below MA |
$1,484±$601Highest 16% below MA |
| Buzzards Bay and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953Highest 34% below MA |
$3,405Lowest 43% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Highest MA: 51.8% |
37.9%±20.3Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Fall River and Buzzards Bay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest MA: 10% |
7.3%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
75.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA |
1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minLowest 11% below MA |
32 minHighest 10% above MA |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
17.4%±6.3Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | — |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in History | 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.