Compare towns
Fall River vs Pelham vs Lawrence
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).
Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).
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 | Pelham | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
14,449Lowest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+10.3% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S. |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Pelham 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%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
22%±2.7 U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Lawrence and Pelham 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% |
16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Pelham and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
40%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Pelham 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. |
$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,425±$88 about the U.S. average |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 27% above U.S. |
$8,634Highest 177% above U.S. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Pelham and Lawrence 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% |
3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
30 minHighest 12% above U.S. |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #48 of 120 in NH | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Pelham School District | Lawrence |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Pelham High School | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
10.4Lowest |
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.