Compare towns
Fall River vs Lawrence vs Thompson
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 oldest housing (typical home built 1945).
Lawrence has the most kids (26.3% under 18).
Thompson has the most homeowners (84.3%).
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 | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
88,736 |
9,337Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
21.9%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% |
2.9%±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. |
$93,629±$18kHighest 16% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11k 19% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S. |
$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S. |
| Lawrence and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27 18% below U.S. |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953Highest 27% above U.S. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
$3,822 23% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
54%±18.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Lawrence and Thompson 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% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 20% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA | #130 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Lawrence | Thompson School District |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Lawrence High School | Tourtellotte Memorial High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
13.6Highest |
7.9Lowest |
| 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.