What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstable Town has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Stoughton has the most people working from home (15.4%).

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	Stoughton
People
Population	49,568Highest	29,225Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Highest 23% above MA	45.7±1.9Lowest 14% above MA
	Barnstable Town and Stoughton 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%	18.5%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Stoughton and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	20.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.1%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stoughton 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±$6kLowest 12% below MA	$104,794±$6kHighest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kHighest 7% above MA	$523,800±$28kLowest 7% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Lowest 9% above MA	$2,050±$200Highest 16% above MA
	Stoughton and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA	$6,215Highest 4% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.4%±7.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Stoughton and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%	8.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	74.1%Lowest 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	33 minHighest 15% above MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	15.4%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Stoughton 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	#196 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Stoughton
High school in town	Barnstable High	Stoughton High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	10.8Highest
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.