What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

Wareham has the most homeowners (83.5%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Boston	Wareham
People
Population	666,442Highest	23,302Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Boston and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA
	Boston and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 26% below MA	$4,341Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	6.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1958Highest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#272 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Wareham
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	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.