What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fall River has the most renters (64.7% rent).

Williston has the most people working from home (22.3%).

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	Williston
People
Population	94,082Highest	10,144Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average	45.4±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Williston and Fall River 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%	21%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Williston 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.	$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.	$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,953Lowest 27% above U.S.	$5,592Highest 79% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fall River and Williston 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%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#262 of 282 in MA	#11 of 70 in VT
School district	Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
High school in town	B M C Durfee High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3	—
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.