Compare towns
Barnstable Town vs Bourne vs Wareham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
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%).
Wareham has the most affordable homes ($425k median).
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.
| Measure | Barnstable Town | Bourne | Wareham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 49,568Highest |
20,323Lowest |
23,302 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.2%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+6.8% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA |
52±1.8 30% above MA |
52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA |
| Wareham and Bourne 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%±2.3 MA: 19.4% |
13.1%±2.4Lowest 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%±1.8 MA: 17.9% |
29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9% |
26.2%±3.9Lowest 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% MA: 47.3% |
46%Highest MA: 47.3% |
27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9% |
6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9% |
5.6%±1.5 MA: 7.9% |
| Bourne and Wareham 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±$7k 12% below MA |
$90,383±$11kLowest 13% 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±$28k about the MA average |
$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA |
| 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 |
$1,504±$180 15% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,975Lowest 34% below MA |
$4,485Highest 25% below MA |
$4,341 28% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
62.8%±5.5 MA: 51.8% |
51.4%±23.3Lowest 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% |
6.7% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
75.8% MA: 62.5% |
83.5%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA |
1975 11 yrs newer than MA |
1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest 15% below MA |
26 min 11% below MA |
28 minHighest 5% below MA |
| Work from home | 12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6% |
14.9%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
12.4%±3.6 MA: 18.6% |
| Bourne and Wareham 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 | #272 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Barnstable | Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical | Wareham |
| High school in town | Barnstable High | Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical | Wareham Senior High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.6Highest |
9.8 |
8.6Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.