Compare towns
Wareham vs Barnstable Town vs Bourne
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Wareham has the most affordable homes ($425k median).
Barnstable Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.2%).
Bourne has the most people working from home (14.9%).
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 | Wareham | Barnstable Town | Bourne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 23,302 |
49,568Highest |
20,323Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.8% MA: +7.4% |
+8.2%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA |
49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA |
52±1.8 30% above MA |
| Wareham and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4% |
17.2%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
14.7%±2.3 MA: 19.4% |
| Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
26.8%±1.8 MA: 17.9% |
29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bourne and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
42.1% MA: 47.3% |
46%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1.5 MA: 7.9% |
5.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9% |
6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Bourne and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA |
$91,982±$6kHighest 12% below MA |
$91,058±$7k 12% below MA |
| Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA |
$602,500±$14kHighest 7% above MA |
$575,600±$28k about the MA average |
| Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,504±$180 15% below MA |
$1,917±$127Highest 9% above MA |
$1,379±$300Lowest 22% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,341 28% below MA |
$3,975Lowest 34% below MA |
$4,485Highest 25% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.4%±23.3Lowest MA: 51.8% |
64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
62.8%±5.5 MA: 51.8% |
| Barnstable Town and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.7% MA: 10% |
7.4%Highest MA: 10% |
6.2%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 83.5%Highest MA: 62.5% |
75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
75.8% MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA |
1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA |
1975 11 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 5% below MA |
25 minLowest 15% below MA |
26 min 11% below MA |
| Work from home | 12.4%±3.6 MA: 18.6% |
12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6% |
14.9%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Bourne and Wareham 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 | #272 of 282 in MA | #189 of 282 in MA | #206 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Wareham | Barnstable | Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Wareham Senior High | Barnstable High | Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 8.6Lowest |
10.6Highest |
9.8 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.