What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fall River has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.3%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Fall River	Scituate
People
Population	94,082Highest	10,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 22%	14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Scituate 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.	$112,315±$23kHighest 39% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.	$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,953Lowest 27% above U.S.	$5,265Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate 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%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scituate and Fall River 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	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical	Scituate
High school in town	B M C Durfee High	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.