What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstable Town has the most expensive homes ($603k median).

Wareham has the most affordable homes ($425k 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	Barnstable Town	Wareham
People
Population	49,568Highest	23,302Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA
	Wareham and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Barnstable Town and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,982±$6kHighest 12% below MA	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA
	Barnstable Town and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kHighest 7% above MA	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Highest 9% above MA	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA	$4,341Highest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±23.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest MA: 10%	6.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.4%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wareham and Barnstable Town 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	#189 of 282 in MA	#272 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Wareham
High school in town	Barnstable High	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	8.6Lowest
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.