Town comparison · Massachusetts

Bourne vs Falmouth

Cape & Islands · Cape & Islands

Falmouth leads 6–0 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Falmouth edges Bourne 6 to 0. Median homes in Bourne run roughly $155k cheaper than in Falmouth, about 19% less. Bourne is about 10 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak.

The two towns at a glance

Bourne

Cape & Islands · pop. 20,508

Bourne is the gateway to the Cape, straddling the Canal with a legitimate local community that stays year-round unlike the towns further down Route 6.

Default fit score

equal weights, 0–100

Full Bourne profile →

Falmouth

Cape & Islands · pop. 33,227

Falmouth is the Cape's most livable town for year-rounders: a real downtown, the Shining Sea Bikeway, multiple distinct villages, and schools that earn a B+ from Niche.

Default fit score

equal weights, 0–100

Full Falmouth profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

	Bourne	Falmouth
Headline
Livability index	48	57 ✦
Economics
Median home	$663k	$818k ✦
Household income	$91k	$93k ✦
Price ÷ income	7.3×	8.8× ✦
Tax burden	46	46
Schools & Safety
Schools	73	80 ✦
Safety	80	82 ✦
Getting around
Commute to Boston	55 min	65 min ✦
Walkability	22	38 ✦
Transit	12	12
Biking	22	42 ✦
Lifestyle
Dining	40	62 ✦
Nightlife	22	30 ✦
Arts & culture	25	42 ✦
Green space	40	45 ✦
Community
Diversity	25	28 ✦
Climate	62	63 ✦
5-yr trend	60	62 ✦

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Bourne vs Falmouth in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

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About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.