What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Barnstable Town	Dalton
People
Population	49,568Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton 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%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Barnstable Town 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%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dalton 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%	44.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,982±$6kHighest 12% below MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
	Barnstable Town and Dalton 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	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Highest 9% above MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA	$4,276Highest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4% MA: 10%	7.4% MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 15% below MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dalton 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	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Barnstable High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	10.9Highest
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.