What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boylston has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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	Boylston	Wareham
People
Population	4,948Lowest	23,302Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.2±2.3Lowest 21% above MA	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA
	Wareham and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Boylston and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wareham and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,962±$28kHighest 36% above MA	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$578,600±$47kHighest about the MA average	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,032±$350Highest 15% above MA	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA
	Boylston and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,266Highest 21% above MA	$4,341Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±16.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%	6.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	22.7%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#72 of 282 in MA	#272 of 282 in MA
School district	Berlin-Boylston	Wareham
High school in town	Tahanto Regional High	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	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.