Compare towns
Fall River vs Preston 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).
Preston has the most people working from home (10.3%).
Freetown has the most expensive homes ($518k median).
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 | Preston | Freetown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
4,821Lowest |
9,285 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average |
46.2±7Highest 19% above U.S. |
40.9±3.2 5% above U.S. |
| Preston and Freetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21.1%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Freetown and Fall River 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% |
23%±4.7Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.8%±2.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Preston and Freetown 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% |
28.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
40%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.7%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Preston and Fall River 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. |
$116,648±$27k 44% above U.S. |
$143,884±$15kHighest 78% above U.S. |
| Freetown and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11k 19% above U.S. |
$361,900±$13kLowest 9% above U.S. |
$518,200±$30kHighest 56% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,433±$1k about the U.S. average |
$1,891±$363Highest 34% above U.S. |
| Freetown and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953Lowest 27% above U.S. |
$4,749 52% above U.S. |
$5,188Highest 66% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
52.6%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
39.2%±12.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Preston and Fall River 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% |
2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
3.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1970 10 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 |
22 minLowest 16% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 23% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.7%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Preston and Freetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #262 of 282 in MA | #93 of 149 in CT | #161 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Preston 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.