What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the most people working from home (22.5%).

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	Burlington	Wareham
People
Population	26,274Highest	23,302Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.2Lowest 15% above MA	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Burlington and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wareham and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,436±$14kHighest 41% above MA	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$740,600±$35kHighest 32% above MA	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,718±$368Highest 54% above MA	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,165Highest about the MA average	$4,341Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest MA: 10%	6.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 min 5% below MA	28 min 5% below MA
Work from home	22.5%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#83 of 282 in MA	#272 of 282 in MA
School district	Burlington	Wareham
High school in town	Burlington High	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	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.