Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 30/100
F
Median home value$357,300
Providence $422,500
Median rent$1,137/mo
Providence $1,307/mo
Cost-burdened households46%
Providence 35%
New Bedford
Bristol County100,998 residentsNew Bedford
45
D
Suburbgrade score
14th of 17 Providence suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
45
Providence median 57
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for New Bedford yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 45 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What New Bedford is like to live in, by category
Bars show New Bedford against Providence. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Within-state proficiency9th pct
Providence median 40th pct
Student–teacher ratio11.9
Providence median 13.1
Graduation rate72%
Providence median 85%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index88
Providence 100
Eff. tax rate1.17%
Providence 1.09%
Local sales tax6.25%
Providence median 7.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Mean commute24.7 min
Providence 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes69%
Providence 63%
Transit stops / sq mi1.0
Providence median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 61/100
C
Restaurants & cafés35
Providence median 33 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Providence median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks47
Providence median 28 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 24/100
F
Median household income$56,981
Providence $87,040
Unemployment8.3%
Providence 5.7%
Professional occupations27%
Providence 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for New Bedford yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than New Bedford on employment & income
New Bedford's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Somerset13 mi from New BedfordC+ 59 C Taunton19 mi from New BedfordD 50 D+ East Providence24 mi from New BedfordD 58 C Newport East21 mi from New BedfordD 62 C Newport23 mi from New BedfordF 58 C Fall River9 mi from New BedfordF 39 D− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in New Bedford
Is New Bedford, MA a good place to live?
New Bedford scores 45 out of 100, 14th of 17 Providence suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is New Bedford expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $357,300, 15% below the Providence median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.17%. $1,137/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in New Bedford?
Schools grade F. The districts serving New Bedford sit at the 9th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 72% graduation rate and a 11.9 student–teacher ratio. New Bedford is served by New Bedford. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from New Bedford?
The mean commute is 24.7 min, with 69% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 5.4% working from home. Transit density is 1.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in New Bedford?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 35 restaurants and cafés and 47 parks, which grades C on amenities.
Are the homes in New Bedford old or new?
The median home in New Bedford was built in 1939 or earlier — older than the Providence median of 1962. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 32% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.