What stands out worked out from the figures below

Holyoke has the most affordable homes ($274k median).

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

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Holyoke	Bourne
People
Population	37,813Highest	20,323Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40±1.6Lowest about the MA average	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	21.4%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%	14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 17.9%	29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,605±$3kLowest 48% below MA	$91,058±$7kHighest 12% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,100±$8kLowest 51% below MA	$575,600±$28kHighest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,021±$60Lowest 42% below MA	$1,379±$300Highest 22% below MA
	Bourne and Holyoke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,065Lowest 32% below MA	$4,485Highest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.7%±5.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	27%Highest MA: 10%	6.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	41.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 34% below MA	26 minHighest 11% below MA
Work from home	11.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Bourne and Holyoke 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	#281 of 282 in MA	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Holyoke · Springfield	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Holyoke High	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	9.8Lowest
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.