Compare towns
Fall River vs Smithfield 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).
Smithfield has the most homeowners (81.6%).
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 | Smithfield | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 94,082Highest |
22,233Lowest |
88,736 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.3±1.2 about the U.S. average |
41.8±2.6Highest 7% above U.S. |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Smithfield and Fall River 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% |
16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
40%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $56,673±$3kLowest 30% below U.S. |
$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S. |
$60,433±$3k 25% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S. |
$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S. |
$415,200±$23k 25% above U.S. |
| Smithfield and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,155±$27 18% below U.S. |
$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S. |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,953 27% above U.S. |
$5,207Highest 67% above U.S. |
$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.1%±17.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Lawrence and Smithfield 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% |
6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 35.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minHighest about the U.S. average |
25 min 7% below U.S. |
23 minLowest 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 7.1%±1.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
14%±3.1Highest 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 | #8 of 38 in RI | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Smithfield | Lawrence |
| High school in town | B M C Durfee High | Smithfield High School | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Lowest |
11.8 |
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.