What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstable Town has the most affordable homes ($603k median).

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Needham
People
Population	49,568Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Highest 23% above MA	43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Barnstable Town and Needham 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	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kLowest 7% above MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Lowest 9% above MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% 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%	55.9%±8.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Needham 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%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#189 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Needham
High school in town	Barnstable High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	11.9Highest
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.