Compare towns
Fall River vs Lawrence vs Williston
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 the most kids (26.3% under 18).
Williston has the most people working from home (22.3%).
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 | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
88,736 |
10,144Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
45.4±4.5Highest 17% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±5.2 U.S.: 22% |
| Lawrence and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Williston and Lawrence 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. |
$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S. |
| Williston and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,662±$50 18% above U.S. |
$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S. |
| Williston 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. |
$5,592Highest 79% 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% |
46.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minHighest about the U.S. average |
23 min 13% below U.S. |
20 minLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Lawrence | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| 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 |
— |
| 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.