What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Wolcott
People
Population	20,323Highest	16,279Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52±1.8Highest 34% above U.S.	44.4±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wolcott 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 U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bourne and Wolcott 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 13% above U.S.	$110,850±$10kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$575,600±$28kHighest 73% above U.S.	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,379±$300Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,464±$913Highest 4% above U.S.
	Wolcott and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,485Lowest 44% above U.S.	$5,799Highest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±5.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.8%±24.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bourne and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	14.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bourne and Wolcott 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	#76 of 149 in CT
School district	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical	Wolcott School District
High school in town	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical	Wolcott High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	10.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.