METRO AREA
Barnstable Metro
Barnstable, MA · 1 counties · 233,539 residents (2025 est.) · 394 sq mi
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The short version
Barnstable is home to 231,668 people. At a median age of 55.4, this is an older place than the country as a whole. That puts it in the top 1% of US metro areas for household income. 81% of homes are owner-occupied. Home values have more than tripled since 2000, reaching $629,000. 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $95,241, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 55.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
48% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 94%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Barnstable
What changed most since 1990
- Median age39.5 → 55.4 (+15.9 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
- Homes owned by their occupants72.4% → 81.1% (+8.7 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
- White share95.3% → 85.2% (−10.1 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Among the 9 metro and micro areas based in Massachusetts
- 5th in household income$95,241
- 5th in share with a bachelor's degree48.2%
- 4th in home value$629,000
- 8th in diversity score33.5
Section 01
Population & growth
231,668
+4%since 2000
from 222,230 in 2000
233,539 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
394 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024232K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.4%(7,855)
5 to 93.9%(9,004)
10 to 144%(9,227)
15 to 194.6%(10,647)
20 to 244.8%(11,203)
25 to 349.1%(20,988)
35 to 449.3%(21,452)
45 to 5410.3%(23,911)
55 to 6417.5%(40,626)
65 to 7419%(44,028)
75 to 8410%(23,265)
85 and over4.1%(9,462)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$95,241
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,933 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
60.5%
+21.5 ptssince 2009
from 39.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.8%
Wholesale trade9.5%
Other services6.2%
Retail trade4.9%
Public administration4.1%
Finance & insurance3.7%
Professional, scientific, technical2.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
Education & health services0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
Construction0.7%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$629,000
+94%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $178,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
6.6
−1%since 2009
from 6.7 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
62
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic93.4%(207,518)
Black1.7%(3,848)
Hispanic / Latino1.3%(3,000)
Asian0.6%(1,363)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic85.2%(197,297)
Black2.8%(6,441)
Hispanic / Latino3.7%(8,561)
Asian1.5%(3,402)
Other6.9%(15,967)
33
+101%since 2009
from 17 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
36
+16%since 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
South American1.2%(2,778)
Puerto Rican0.7%(1,549)
Mexican0.6%(1,428)
Colombian0.3%(640)
Dominican0.3%(624)
Central American0.2%(574)
Ecuadorian0.2%(532)
Venezuelan0.2%(369)
Argentine0.1%(295)
Peruvian0.1%(268)
Salvadoran0.1%(266)
Spaniard0.1%(234)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(215)
Guatemalan0.1%(155)
Cuban0%(115)
Honduran0%(72)
Uruguayan0%(67)
Panamanian0%(61)
Bolivian0%(35)
Costa Rican0%(20)
Asian origin
Chinese0.5%(1,063)
Nepalese0.2%(399)
Thai0.1%(290)
Filipino0.1%(236)
Taiwanese0.1%(192)
Pakistani0.1%(182)
Asian Indian0.1%(177)
Japanese0.1%(162)
Bangladeshi0.1%(132)
Vietnamese0.1%(122)
Korean0.1%(116)
Cambodian0%(99)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Ancestry
Irish25.2%(58,418)
English16.7%(38,671)
Italian11.2%(25,882)
German8.1%(18,686)
French4.2%(9,643)
American3.8%(8,759)
Portuguese3.6%(8,271)
Scottish3.4%(7,929)
Polish3.2%(7,380)
French Canadian2.6%(6,009)
Brazilian2.6%(5,983)
Swedish2.4%(5,596)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
West Indian1.8%(4,107)
Jamaican1.4%(3,146)
Russian1.1%(2,450)
Subsaharan African1%(2,428)
Greek0.9%(2,029)
Lithuanian0.8%(1,966)
Norwegian0.8%(1,931)
Dutch0.7%(1,625)
Cape Verdean0.7%(1,551)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(1,543)
Canadian0.5%(1,269)
Arab0.5%(1,186)
Finnish0.5%(1,169)
Welsh0.4%(969)
British0.4%(941)
Hungarian0.4%(857)
Lebanese0.4%(820)
Haitian0.3%(807)
Serbian0.3%(794)
Ukrainian0.3%(780)
Danish0.3%(710)
Armenian0.2%(577)
Czech0.2%(459)
Austrian0.2%(430)
Swiss0.2%(377)
Croatian0.1%(280)
Australian0.1%(233)
Turkish0.1%(232)
Romanian0.1%(207)
Slovak0.1%(206)
Belgian0.1%(139)
Syrian0.1%(138)
Bulgarian0.1%(134)
Latvian0%(98)
Moroccan0%(83)
Slovene0%(74)
Ethiopian0%(67)
Nigerian0%(52)
Egyptian0%(50)
Macedonian0%(48)
Iranian0%(25)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(16)
Jordanian0%(15)
Barbadian0%(12)
Israeli0%(11)
Kenyan0%(8)
Guyanese0%(2)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
96.2%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 91.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.6%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 79.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
96.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 94.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married27.9%(27,421)
Married58.9%(57,825)
Widowed3.9%(3,864)
Divorced9.3%(9,108)
Women 15+
Never married23.2%(24,872)
Married51.2%(54,950)
Widowed11.1%(11,969)
Divorced14.5%(15,573)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
24.2%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 21.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 2.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
74.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 73.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
48.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 48.0% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)13%(1,830)
Gulf War (1990s)15.2%(2,144)
Vietnam era44.8%(6,322)
Korean War10.4%(1,469)
World War II1.3%(181)
Share of the 14,125 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Barnstable, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 186,605 | $76,241 | $390,011 | 28.1% | 11.4 |
| 2000 | 222,230 | $83,674 | $324,255 | 33.6% | 15.8 |
| 2010 | 215,888 | $86,770 | $564,927 | 40.5% | 20.4 |
| 2020 | 228,996 | $93,161 | $501,784 | 45.0% | 34.3 |
| 2024 | 231,668 | $95,241 | $629,000 | 48.2% | 33.5 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
In this metro
Largest cities
BarnstableCENTRAL50,101South Yarmouth11,552East Falmouth6,245West Yarmouth6,194Yarmouth Port5,961East Harwich5,654Sagamore4,072Falmouth3,954Northwest Harwich3,932East Sandwich3,864Forestdale3,801Dennis Port3,691Provincetown3,452Monument Beach3,277South Dennis3,135East Dennis3,062Buzzards Bay2,909Sandwich2,890North Falmouth2,838West Dennis2,556Dennis2,424Pocasset2,247Harwich Port2,238North Eastham2,085Brewster1,994Bourne1,806Harwich Center1,774Teaticket1,759Chatham1,600Orleans1,480
The 30 most populous of 40 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Barnstable
Charlottesville
Pop 228,597
Burlington
Pop 227,803
Rochester
Pop 231,184
San Luis Obispo
Pop 282,367
Places similar to BarnstableHead to head
Compare Barnstable side by side
BARNSTABLE VS
Charlottesville
Income$93,985−1%
Home value$445,185−29%
Population228,597−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BARNSTABLE VS
Burlington
Income$93,347−2%
Home value$408,278−35%
Population227,803−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BARNSTABLE VS
Rochester
Income$92,495−3%
Home value$310,933−51%
Population231,184−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BARNSTABLE VS
San Luis Obispo
Income$97,446+2%
Home value$824,700+31%
Population282,367+21%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Barnstable, MA?
Barnstable, MA has about 231,668 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Barnstable, MA?
The typical household in Barnstable, MA earns about $95,241 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Barnstable, MA expensive?
In Barnstable, MA, the median home is worth about $629,000, and the typical rent is about $1,678 a month.
How educated are people in Barnstable, MA?
About 48.2% of adults age 25 and over in Barnstable, MA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Barnstable, MA?
About 7.7% of people in Barnstable, MA live below the federal poverty line.
Has Barnstable, MA grown since 1990?
Yes, Barnstable, MA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 45,063 residents, a change of about 24 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024