What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bourne has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.5%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

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	Bourne	Dalton
People
Population	20,323Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA	49.7±5.8Lowest 24% above MA
	Bourne and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Bourne and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,058±$7kHighest 12% below MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
	Bourne and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$575,600±$28kHighest about the MA average	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,379±$300Highest 22% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,485Highest 25% below MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Bourne and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest MA: 10%	7.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 11% below MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	14.9%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Bourne and Dalton 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	#206 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	10.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.