What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

Wareham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.8%).

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	Cheshire	Wareham
People
Population	3,216Lowest	23,302Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.5Highest 34% above MA	52.1±3.1Lowest 30% above MA
	Cheshire and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Cheshire and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest MA: 17.9%	26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Cheshire and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	27.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kLowest 33% below MA	$90,383±$11kHighest 13% below MA
	Wareham and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 52% below MA	$424,500±$21kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,504±$180 15% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 50% below MA	$4,341Highest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest MA: 10%	6.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.4%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#274 of 282 in MA	#272 of 282 in MA
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Wareham
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Highest	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.