What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Webster	Bourne
People
Population	17,748Lowest	20,323Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average	52±1.8Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	14.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Webster and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	29.8%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bourne and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA	$91,058±$7kHighest 12% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA	$575,600±$28kHighest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA	$1,379±$300Highest 22% below MA
	Bourne and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA	$4,485Highest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±5.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest MA: 10%	6.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#271 of 282 in MA	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Webster	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Bartlett High School	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	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.