What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shelburne has the most affordable homes ($405k 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	Shelburne	Bourne
People
Population	1,567Lowest	20,323Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	57±7.3Highest 43% above MA	52±1.8Lowest 30% above MA
	Shelburne and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.5%±4Lowest MA: 19.4%	14.7%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bourne and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.4%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	29.8%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	46%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bourne and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,000±$4kLowest 20% below MA	$91,058±$7kHighest 12% below MA
	Bourne and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$405,400±$32kLowest 28% below MA	$575,600±$28kHighest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,080±$105Lowest 39% below MA	$1,379±$300Highest 22% below MA
	Bourne and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,595Highest 23% below MA	$4,485Lowest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±7.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest MA: 10%	6.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	17.7%±6Highest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Shelburne 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	—	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	None 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.