What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstable Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.2%).

Bourne has the most people working from home (14.9%).

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	Bourne
People
Population	49,568Highest	20,323Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA
	Bourne and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%	14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Bourne and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bourne and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,982±$6kHighest 12% below MA	$91,058±$7kLowest 12% below MA
	Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kHighest 7% above MA	$575,600±$28kLowest about the MA average
	Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Highest 9% above MA	$1,379±$300Lowest 22% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA	$4,485Highest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±5.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Bourne 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%	6.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	26 minHighest 11% below MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Bourne and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#189 of 282 in MA	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Barnstable High	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	9.8Lowest
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.