What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstable Town has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Acton has the most people working from home (35.9%).

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	Barnstable Town	Acton
People
Population	49,568Highest	24,155Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Highest 23% above MA	44.5±0.8Lowest 11% above MA
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.2%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	17.6%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	79.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Barnstable Town and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,982±$6kLowest 12% below MA	$158,230±$14kHighest 52% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kLowest 7% above MA	$807,300±$20kHighest 44% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Lowest 9% above MA	$1,986±$155Highest 13% above MA
	Acton and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	47.7%±11.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	74.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	35 minHighest 19% above MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	35.9%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#189 of 282 in MA	#13 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Acton-Boxborough
High school in town	Barnstable High	Acton-Boxborough Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.