What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windsor Locks has the most affordable homes ($259k median).

Bourne has the most expensive 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.

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

Measure	Windsor Locks	Bourne
People
Population	12,579Lowest	20,323Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.	52±1.8Highest 34% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windsor Locks and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bourne and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,205±$13kLowest about the U.S. average	$91,058±$7kHighest 13% above U.S.
	Bourne and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.	$575,600±$28kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Highest about the U.S. average	$1,379±$300Lowest about the U.S. average
	Windsor Locks and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,688Lowest 18% above U.S.	$4,485Highest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	62.8%±5.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bourne and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.9%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windsor Locks 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	#109 of 149 in CT	#206 of 282 in MA
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	9.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.