Compare towns
Barnstable Town vs Wareham vs Mashpee
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barnstable Town has the most kids (17.2% under 18).
Wareham has the most affordable homes ($425k median).
Mashpee has the most people working from home (14.5%).
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.
| Measure | Barnstable Town | Wareham | Mashpee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 49,568Highest |
23,302 |
15,384Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.2%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+7.5% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA |
52.1±3.1 30% above MA |
55.9±1.8Highest 40% above MA |
| Mashpee and Wareham 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% |
14.7%±2.3 MA: 19.4% |
| Barnstable Town and Mashpee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.8%±1.8 MA: 17.9% |
26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
33.1%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.1% MA: 47.3% |
27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
44.3%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±1 MA: 7.9% |
5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9% |
4.5%±1.4Lowest 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±$6k 12% below MA |
$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA |
$95,299±$13kHighest 8% below MA |
| Mashpee and Barnstable Town 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 |
$562,200±$29k about the MA average |
| Barnstable Town and Mashpee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,917±$127Highest 9% above MA |
$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA |
$1,776±$330 about the MA average |
| Barnstable Town and Mashpee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,975 34% below MA |
$4,341Highest 28% below MA |
$3,762Lowest 37% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
51.4%±23.3 MA: 51.8% |
44.7%±14.5Lowest 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% MA: 10% |
5.5%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
83.5%Highest MA: 62.5% |
81.9% MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1978 14 yrs newer than MA |
1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA |
1988Highest 24 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest 15% below MA |
28 minHighest 5% below MA |
27 min 6% below MA |
| Work from home | 12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6% |
12.4%±3.6 MA: 18.6% |
14.5%±3Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Mashpee and Wareham 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 | #100 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Barnstable | Wareham | Mashpee |
| High school in town | Barnstable High | Wareham Senior High | Mashpee Middle-High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.6Highest |
8.6Lowest |
9.6 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.