Compare towns
Fall River vs Nelson vs Freetown
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 renters (64.7% rent).
Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).
Freetown has the highest household income ($144k).
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 | Nelson | Freetown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
648Lowest |
9,285 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-13.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average |
42.3±11.7Highest 9% above U.S. |
40.9±3.2 5% above U.S. |
| Nelson and Freetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
27.5%±6.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
21.1%±3.1 U.S.: 22% |
| Nelson and Freetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.8%±2.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
61.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
40% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
0.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.7%±1.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Fall River and Freetown 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. |
$99,792±$23k 24% above U.S. |
$143,884±$15kHighest 78% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11k 19% above U.S. |
$340,900±$49kLowest about the U.S. average |
$518,200±$30kHighest 56% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,203±$243 15% below U.S. |
$1,891±$363Highest 34% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953Lowest 27% above U.S. |
$5,575Highest 79% above U.S. |
$5,188 66% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40%±68.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
39.2%±12.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Fall River and Nelson 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% |
1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
3.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
90.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
24 minLowest 8% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 23% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
31.5%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.7%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | — | #161 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Nelson School District | Freetown-Lakeville |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
— | — |
| 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.