Compare towns
Fall River vs Scituate vs New Bedford
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).
Scituate has the most homeowners (87.3%).
New Bedford has the most kids (23.9% under 18).
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 | Scituate | New Bedford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082 |
10,517Lowest |
100,998Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S. |
37±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
23.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
15.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
34.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
17% 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% |
4.1%±0.5Lowest 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. |
$56,981±$3k 29% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11k 19% above U.S. |
$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S. |
$357,300±$6kLowest 7% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27 18% below U.S. |
$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S. |
$1,137±$26Lowest 20% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953Lowest 27% above U.S. |
$5,265Highest 69% above U.S. |
$4,338 39% 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% |
52.6%±3.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Scituate and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
40.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
31 minHighest 16% above U.S. |
25 minLowest 6% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
5.4%±0.9Lowest 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 | #263 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Scituate | New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Scituate High School | New Bedford High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3 |
10.8Lowest |
13.5Highest |
| 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.