Compare towns
Fall River vs Lawrence vs Wakefield
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 affordable homes ($396k median).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).
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 | Wakefield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
88,736 |
27,793Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+8.7% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the MA average |
32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA |
42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2Lowest MA: 19.4% |
26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
20%±2.2 MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 MA: 17.9% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
16.8% MA: 47.3% |
59.7%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9% |
4.4%±0.9 MA: 7.9% |
| Lawrence and Wakefield 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 45% below MA |
$60,433±$3k 42% below MA |
$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 30% below MA |
$415,200±$23k 26% below MA |
$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 34% below MA |
$1,662±$50 6% below MA |
$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 34% below MA |
$3,422Lowest 43% below MA |
$7,779Highest 30% above MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 MA: 51.8% |
60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest MA: 10% |
17.6% MA: 10% |
4.9%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% MA: 62.5% |
28.1%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
70.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA |
1950 14 yrs older than MA |
1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min 11% below MA |
23 minLowest 21% below MA |
33 minHighest 14% above MA |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 MA: 18.6% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA | #179 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Lawrence | Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Lawrence High School | Northeast Metro Regional Vocational |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
13.6Highest |
10.7Lowest |
| 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.