What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bourne has the most affordable homes ($576k median).

Ipswich has the highest household income ($139k).

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	Ipswich
People
Population	20,323Highest	13,930Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA	47.2±3.5Lowest 18% above MA
	Bourne and Ipswich 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%	18.9%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Ipswich 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%	21.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46%Lowest MA: 47.3%	60.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Bourne and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,058±$7kLowest 12% below MA	$138,750±$16kHighest 33% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$575,600±$28kLowest about the MA average	$745,400±$40kHighest 33% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,379±$300Lowest 22% below MA	$1,598±$90Highest 9% below MA
	Ipswich and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,485Lowest 25% below MA	$7,960Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%	51.5%±12.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Bourne and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest MA: 10%	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	14.9%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	18.9%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Ipswich and Bourne 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	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical	Ipswich
High school in town	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	9.0Lowest
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.