What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plymouth has the most people working from home (18.2%).

Barnstable Town has the shortest commute (25 min average).

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	Plymouth	Barnstable Town
People
Population	63,953Highest	49,568Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.4±1.4Lowest 19% above MA	49.1±1.9Highest 23% above MA
	Barnstable Town and Plymouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	17.2%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Barnstable Town and Plymouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±1.6Lowest MA: 17.9%	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Barnstable Town and Plymouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	42.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Barnstable Town and Plymouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,941±$5kHighest 12% above MA	$91,982±$6kLowest 12% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$527,400±$17kLowest 6% below MA	$602,500±$14kHighest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,933±$108Highest 10% above MA	$1,917±$127Lowest 9% above MA
	Plymouth and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,599Highest 10% above MA	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.9%±6.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Plymouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Lowest MA: 10%	7.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1978Lowest 14 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	18.2%±1.8Highest MA: 18.6%	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#152 of 282 in MA	#189 of 282 in MA
School district	Plymouth	Barnstable
High school in town	Plymouth North High	Barnstable High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	10.6Lowest
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.