Compare towns
Fall River vs Gardner vs Dudley
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 renters (64.7% rent).
Gardner has the most people working from home (13.3%).
Dudley has the highest household income ($85k).
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 | Gardner | Dudley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
21,148 |
11,929Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+5.2% MA: +7.4% |
+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2Lowest about the MA average |
43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA |
40.2±2.4 about the MA average |
| Gardner and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 MA: 19.4% |
18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4% |
20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Dudley 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 MA: 17.9% |
19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9% |
16.9%±3 MA: 17.9% |
| Gardner and Dudley 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 MA: 47.3% |
23.8% MA: 47.3% |
24.1%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
4.6%±1.3 MA: 7.9% |
13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $56,673±$3kLowest 45% below MA |
$67,518±$8k 35% below MA |
$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA |
| Dudley and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kHighest 30% below MA |
$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA |
$392,600±$19k 30% below MA |
| Fall River and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27 34% below MA |
$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA |
$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA |
| Dudley and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 34% below MA |
$4,150Highest 31% below MA |
$3,691Lowest 38% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Highest MA: 51.8% |
49.7%±8.6 MA: 51.8% |
47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Fall River and Gardner 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% |
13.7% MA: 10% |
6.4%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
58.9% MA: 62.5% |
73.1%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA |
1954 10 yrs older than MA |
1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minLowest 11% below MA |
31 minHighest 5% above MA |
27 min 6% below MA |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
13.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6% |
9.1%±2.5 MA: 18.6% |
| Gardner and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #273 of 282 in MA | #142 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Gardner | Dudley-Charlton Reg |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Gardner High | Shepherd Hill Regional High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
13.5 |
14.3Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.