Compare towns
Fall River vs Putnam vs Thompson
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).
Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k median).
Thompson has the most people working from home (13.1%).
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 | Putnam | Thompson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
9,292Lowest |
9,337 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
— | — |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average |
43.7±3 12% above U.S. |
54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.6%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Fall River and Putnam 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% |
18.5%±3.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Thompson and Putnam 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% |
20% U.S.: 35.7% |
21.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Fall River and Putnam 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. |
$70,561±$7k 13% below U.S. |
$93,629±$18kHighest 16% above U.S. |
| Thompson and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kHighest 19% above U.S. |
$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S. |
$291,900±$24k 12% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Highest 18% below U.S. |
$1,149±$44 19% below U.S. |
$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S. |
| Fall River and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953Highest 27% above U.S. |
$3,860 24% above U.S. |
$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Thompson 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% |
11.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
25 minLowest 6% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 20% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
9%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Thompson and Putnam 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 | #128 of 149 in CT | #130 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Putnam School District | Thompson School District |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Putnam High School | Tourtellotte Memorial High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Highest |
9.5 |
7.9Lowest |
| 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.