What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most affordable homes ($451k median).

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Harvard
People
Population	17,410Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	44.1±4.7Highest 10% above MA
	Harvard and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Harvard 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%	16.3%±2.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Harvard 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Harvard 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	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kLowest 20% below MA	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 4% above MA	$1,321±$424Lowest 25% below MA
	Bellingham and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Lowest 16% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%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	32 minLowest 9% above MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Harvard
High school in town	Bellingham High School	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.