Compare towns
Reading vs Bourne
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).
Bourne has the most affordable homes ($576k 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.
| Measure | Reading | Bourne |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 25,612Highest |
20,323Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+3.5%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA |
52±1.8Highest 30% above MA |
| Kids under 18 | 22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 20.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9% |
29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 66.3%Highest MA: 47.3% |
46%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.9%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9% |
6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA |
$91,058±$7kLowest 12% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA |
$575,600±$28kLowest about the MA average |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA |
$1,379±$300Lowest 22% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $9,320Highest 56% above MA |
$4,485Lowest 25% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8% |
62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 3.2%Lowest MA: 10% |
6.2%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
75.8%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA |
1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 6% above MA |
26 minLowest 11% below MA |
| Work from home | 30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
14.9%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #50 of 282 in MA | #206 of 282 in MA |
| School district | — | Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | — | Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.8 |
| 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.