Compare towns
Fall River vs Salem 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).
Salem has the most people working from home (16.3%).
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 | Salem | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
30,964Lowest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
44.6±2.7Highest 15% above U.S. |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
16.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Salem 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% |
38.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.3%±1 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Lawrence and Salem 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. |
$110,490±$9kHighest 37% above U.S. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$473,300±$16kHighest 42% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S. |
$1,625±$146 15% above U.S. |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Lawrence and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 27% above U.S. |
$6,992Highest 124% above U.S. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
44.5%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Below poverty line | 19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
75.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
29 minHighest 10% above U.S. |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
16.3%±2.9Highest 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 | #38 of 120 in NH | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Salem School District | Lawrence |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Salem High School | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
11.2Lowest |
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.