Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1810 | 1,296 | — |
| 1820 | 1,594 | +23.0% |
| 1830 | 4,158 | +160.9% |
| 1840 | 6,738 | +62.0% |
| 1850 | 11,524 | +71.0% |
| 1860 | 14,026 | +21.7% |
| 1870 | 26,766 | +90.8% |
| 1880 | 48,961 | +82.9% |
| 1890 | 74,398 | +52.0% |
| 1900 | 104,863 | +40.9% |
| 1910 | 110,295 | +5.2% |
| 1920 | 120,485 | +9.2% |
| 1930 | 115,274 | −4.3% |
| 1940 | 115,428 | +0.1% |
| 1950 | 111,963 | −3.0% |
| 1960 | 99,942 | −10.7% |
| 1970 | 96,898 | −3.0% |
| 1980 | 92,574 | −4.5% |
| 1990 | 92,703 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 91,938 | −0.8% |
| 2010 | 88,857 | −3.4% |
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According to the United States Census of 2000, the population of Fall River is 91,938. The largest racial groups within the city were 91.2% (83,815) White, 2.5% (2,283) African American, 2.2% (1,987) Asian and 0.2% (172) Native American. 47% (43,253) of the population described themselves as being of Portuguese ancestry. The next largest groups by ancestry are French 13.4% (12,343), Irish 9.8% (9,029), English 6.6% (6,085), French Canadian 5.9% (5,458), Italian 3.6% (3,293) and Polish 3.4% (3,148).
Fall River and surrounding communities form a part of the Providence metropolitan area, which has an estimated population of 1,622,520.
In percentage terms Fall River has the largest Portuguese American population in the United States. However, the exact percentage of the population they make up is disputed. A 2005 study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has given it at 49.6% while other sources give it as 43.9%.
The city has 38,759 households and 23,558 families. The population density was 2,963.7 per square mile (1,144.3/km²). There were 41,857 housing units at an average density of 1,349.3 per square mile (521.0/km²). Of the 38,759 households 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.00.
In terms of age the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median household income was $29,014, and the median family income was $37,671. Males had a median income of $31,330 versus $22,883 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,118. About 14.0% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.
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