Compare towns
Fall River vs Exeter vs Freetown
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 renters (64.7% rent).
Exeter has the most people working from home (19.9%).
Freetown has the highest household income ($144k).
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 | Exeter | Freetown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
16,151 |
9,285Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average |
45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S. |
40.9±3.2 5% above U.S. |
| Exeter and Freetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21.1%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Freetown 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% |
24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.8%±2.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
40% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.7%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Exeter and Fall River 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. |
$110,346±$13k 37% above U.S. |
$143,884±$15kHighest 78% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$456,600±$21k 37% above U.S. |
$518,200±$30kHighest 56% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,856±$223 31% above U.S. |
$1,891±$363Highest 34% above U.S. |
| Freetown and Exeter 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. |
$8,814Highest 183% above U.S. |
$5,188 66% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
39.2%±12.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Exeter and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
69.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
86.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S. |
1976 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
25 minLowest 6% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 23% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.7%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #22 of 120 in NH | #161 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District | Freetown-Lakeville |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Exeter High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
12.1Highest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 59 photos → | 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.