Compare towns
Fall River vs Lawrence vs Rye
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).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
Rye has the most people working from home (30.9%).
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 | Lawrence | Rye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
88,736 |
5,611Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
55.1±3Highest 42% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
31.7%±5.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
61.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Lawrence 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. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
$140,655±$39kHighest 74% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
$1,028,100±$89kHighest 209% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,662±$50 18% above U.S. |
$1,781±$156Highest 26% above U.S. |
| Rye 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. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
$7,519Highest 141% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
44.3%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
6.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
29 minHighest 9% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
30.9%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA | #2 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Lawrence | Rye School District |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Lawrence High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
13.6Highest |
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| 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.


