What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norton has the highest household income ($125k).

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	Norton	Bourne
People
Population	19,240Lowest	20,323Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.6±1.2Lowest about the MA average	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	17.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Norton and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	12.9%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,535±$11kHighest 20% above MA	$91,058±$7kLowest 12% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$501,400±$27kLowest 11% below MA	$575,600±$28kHighest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,911±$375Highest 8% above MA	$1,379±$300Lowest 22% below MA
	Norton and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,929Highest about the MA average	$4,485Lowest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±8.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%	6.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 12% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Norton 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	#173 of 282 in MA	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Norton	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Norton High	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	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.