Compare towns
Bourne vs Reading vs Kingston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bourne has the shortest commute (26 min average).
Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).
Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
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.
| Measure | Bourne | Reading | Kingston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 20,323 |
25,612Highest |
14,027Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.5% MA: +7.4% |
+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 52±1.8Highest 30% above MA |
43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA |
46.5±3.9 16% above MA |
| Bourne and Kingston 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% |
22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
19.9%±3.2 MA: 19.4% |
| Reading and Kingston 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% |
20.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9% |
22.8%±3.7 MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
66.3%Highest MA: 47.3% |
48.2% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9% |
2.9%±0.7 MA: 7.9% |
2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,058±$7kLowest 12% below MA |
$165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA |
$119,876±$13k 15% above MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $575,600±$28kLowest about the MA average |
$809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA |
$610,600±$30k 9% above MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,379±$300 22% below MA |
$1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA |
$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,485Lowest 25% below MA |
$9,320Highest 56% above MA |
$7,650 28% above MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8% |
27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8% |
35.9%±13 MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 6.2%Highest MA: 10% |
3.2% MA: 10% |
3.1%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.8%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
82.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
81.2% MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975 11 yrs newer than MA |
1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA |
1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minLowest 11% below MA |
31 min 6% above MA |
35 minHighest 20% above MA |
| Work from home | 14.9%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6% |
30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
19.5%±4.9 MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #206 of 282 in MA | #50 of 282 in MA | #99 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical | Reading | Kingston · Silver Lake |
| High school in town | Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical | Reading Memorial High | Silver Lake Regional High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.8Lowest |
12.1Highest |
12.0 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.