What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the most people working from home (20.9%).

New Bedford has the most renters (59.7% rent).

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	Douglas	New Bedford
People
Population	9,207Lowest	100,998Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA	37±0.8Lowest 8% below MA
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.9%±1.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1 MA: 17.9%	15.4%±0.9 MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA	$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA	$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA
	Douglas and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 6% above MA	$4,338Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.6%±3.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	New Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	20.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#263 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Douglas High School	New Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	13.5Highest
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.