What share of people in Fall River are on low incomes?

39.8% of residents of Fall River had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 157th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; Massachusetts: 21.0%).

Poverty and living standards in Fall River, Massachusetts: official figures

19.6% of residents of Fall River (18,168 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 133rd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; Massachusetts: 10.0%).

Poverty rate

19.6%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

26.6%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

52.5%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Fall River?

26.6% of children under 18 in Fall River lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (4,910 children), 114th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; Massachusetts: 11.7%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Fall River?

By age, the poverty rate in Fall River was 24.1% for children under 6 and 20.3% for residents aged 60 and over in 2020-2024 (US: 17.2% and 11.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Fall River live in deep poverty?

9,333 people in Fall River, 10.0% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 116th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Fall River are cost-burdened?

52.5% of renting households in Fall River spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (13,615 households), 396th lowest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; Massachusetts: 51.8%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many households in Fall River spend half their income on rent?

25.4% of renting households in Fall River spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 360th lowest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Fall River are food insecure?

An estimated 24.2% of adults in Fall River experienced food insecurity in the past year, joint 124th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 20.0% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Fall River compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Fall River ranks 133 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
130	Savannah	19.7%
131	Hamilton	19.6%
132	Worcester	19.6%
133	Fall River	19.6%
134	Lauderhill	19.4%
135	Mission	19.4%
136	West New York	19.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Children under 18 below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Fall River ranks 114 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
111	Little Rock	26.9%
112	Baytown	26.8%
113	El Monte	26.6%
114	Fall River	26.6%
115	El Cajon	26.5%
116	Mishawaka	26.5%
117	Trenton	26.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with incomes below half the poverty line (2020-2024)

Fall River ranks 116 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
113	Lubbock	10.1%
114	Fresno	10.1%
115	Knoxville	10.1%
116	Fall River	10.0%
117	Kingsport	10.0%
118	Hamilton	9.9%
119	Passaic	9.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent (2020-2024)

Fall River ranks 428 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
425	Alhambra	52.5%
426	Bethlehem	52.5%
427	Frederick	52.5%
428	Fall River	52.5%
429	Huntington Beach	52.4%
430	Yuma	52.4%
431	West Jordan	52.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Fall River ranks 124 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
121	Yuma	24.5%
122	Chicago	24.4%
123	Columbus	24.4%
124	Fall River	24.2%
125	Apple Valley	24.2%
126	Tulsa	24.1%
127	Fontana	24.1%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Fall River: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B17020: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 e79a292f34605560506b7f4b5c8ea242c9d6e203c8e95ba675565ddb7758571e), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 41bab025d213…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 dc3dc675113683ec3ff2a0e29a840f43e03268151d7f14b922658d7306da5187), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 31aa364bfddf…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25070: Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 862ccc17d913305d11e6f802ce4518d76b30585ea0b05b251cd8cf21f8661386), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4f8d499d9e95…)

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