Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

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.

Coastal QuietCommuter Value
Livability Index
48
/ 100
Ranks #186 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$663k
7.3× household income
Household income
$91k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
79 min
peak driving
Population
20,508
5-yr trend 60/100

How Bourne scores

Schools
73
Safety
80
Walkability
22
Transit
12
Biking
22
Dining
40
Nightlife
22
Arts & Culture
25
Green Space
40
Diversity
25
Climate
62

Who lives in Bourne

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
52.7
Foreign-born
4.6%
Bachelor's or higher
46.2%
Population
20k
White89.4%
Hispanic / Latino2.4%
Asian2.1%
Black0.6%
Other / multi5.5%

Schools in Bourne

Bourne School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Below average
37/100
ELA · 3-8
p22
28.7%
Math · 3-8
p15
27.9%
ELA · 10
p65
66.7%
Math · 10
p49
48.1%
Grad rate
91.5%
Below average
Spend / pupil
$24.2k
Top 25% in MA
Teachers / 100
9.4
Top 25% in MA
Enrollment
1,563

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Buyers who want Cape Cod proximity without full Cape prices and a reasonable mainland commute.
The tradeoff
The Sagamore and Bourne bridges create summer gridlock, and the town lacks a true center.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

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Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Bourne lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Bourne.

Bourne appears in

Rankings where Bourne qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Bourne.

Want my honest read on Bourne?

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