What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

Bourne has the most homeowners (75.8%).

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	Boston	Bourne
People
Population	666,442Highest	20,323Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4%	14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Boston and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	46%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$91,058±$7kLowest 12% below MA
	Boston and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$575,600±$28kLowest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,379±$300Lowest 22% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$4,485Highest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	6.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	9.8Lowest
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.