What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Concord has the most people working from home (36.1%).

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	Concord
People
Population	49,568Highest	18,223Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Highest 23% above MA	47.6±2Lowest 19% above MA
	Barnstable Town and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.6%±2.6Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	23.7%±2.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Barnstable Town and Concord 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%	79.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1 MA: 7.9%	5.5%±1.7 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,982±$6kLowest 12% below MA	$195,350±$22kHighest 88% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kLowest 7% above MA	$1,210,000±$72kHighest 115% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Lowest 9% above MA	$2,631±$166Highest 49% above MA
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%	53.2%±10.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Concord 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%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7% MA: 62.5%	75.7% MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.1%±4.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#189 of 282 in MA	#10 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Concord · Concord-Carlisle
High school in town	Barnstable High	Concord Carlisle High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	11.4Highest
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.