What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Dighton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.3%).

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	Bellingham	Dighton
People
Population	17,410Highest	8,193Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+14.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	42.7±2.9Highest 7% above MA
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	21%±4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Dighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.5%±3.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dighton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	35.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.2%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Dighton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kLowest 21% above MA	$136,646±$19kHighest 31% above MA
	Dighton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kLowest 20% below MA	$501,900±$47kHighest 11% below MA
	Dighton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 4% above MA	$1,405±$192Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Lowest 16% below MA	$6,452Highest 8% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8%	11.8%±16.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 9 yrs newer than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	31 minLowest 6% above MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%	11%±3.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#85 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Bristol County Agricultural · Dighton-Rehoboth
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Bristol County Agricultural High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Highest	11.9Lowest
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.