Compare towns
Fall River vs Northampton vs Lawrence
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).
Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
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 | Northampton | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
30,962Lowest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% MA: +7.4% |
+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the MA average |
41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA |
32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA |
| Northampton and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 MA: 19.4% |
16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 MA: 17.9% |
20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
62.7%Highest MA: 47.3% |
16.8% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±0.8 MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $56,673±$3kLowest 45% below MA |
$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA |
$60,433±$3k 42% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 30% below MA |
$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA |
$415,200±$23k 26% below MA |
| Northampton 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 34% below MA |
$1,439±$75 18% below MA |
$1,662±$50Highest 6% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 34% below MA |
$5,680Highest 5% below MA |
$3,422Lowest 43% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Lowest MA: 51.8% |
57.6%±6.7 MA: 51.8% |
60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Lawrence and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest MA: 10% |
13.4%Lowest MA: 10% |
17.6% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% MA: 62.5% |
57.3%Highest MA: 62.5% |
28.1%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA |
1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA |
1950 14 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minHighest 11% below MA |
21 minLowest 26% below MA |
23 min 21% below MA |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 MA: 18.6% |
24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #159 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural | Lawrence |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Northampton High | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
14.7Highest |
13.6 |
| 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.