Compare towns
Chesterfield vs Wareham vs Royalston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Chesterfield has the most people working from home (13.4%).
Wareham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.8%).
Royalston has the most affordable homes ($346k 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.
| Measure | Chesterfield | Wareham | Royalston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,055Lowest |
23,302Highest |
1,460 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.9%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+6.8%Highest MA: +7.4% |
-0.6% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44.3±7.6Lowest 11% above MA |
52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA |
47.8±14.6 20% above MA |
| Wareham and Royalston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.1%±5.1 MA: 19.4% |
13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4% |
21.2%±10Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Royalston and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.3%±4.2 MA: 17.9% |
26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9% |
20.7%±5.8Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Wareham and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.3%Highest MA: 47.3% |
27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
28.5% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.7%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9% |
5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±3.1 MA: 7.9% |
| Wareham and Royalston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $103,967±$11kHighest about the MA average |
$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA |
$102,109±$8k about the MA average |
| Chesterfield and Royalston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $390,800±$48k 30% below MA |
$424,500±$21kHighest 24% below MA |
$346,300±$18kLowest 38% below MA |
| Wareham and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,078±$409Lowest 39% below MA |
$1,504±$180 15% below MA |
$1,650±$412Highest 6% below MA |
| Royalston and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,969Highest about the MA average |
$4,341 28% below MA |
$3,196Lowest 47% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 10.3%±84.4Lowest MA: 51.8% |
51.4%±23.3 MA: 51.8% |
85.7%±100Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Royalston and Wareham 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% MA: 10% |
11.8%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.2% MA: 62.5% |
83.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
96%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976 12 yrs newer than MA |
1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA |
1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 7% above MA |
28 minLowest 5% below MA |
38 minHighest 32% above MA |
| Work from home | 13.4%±6.7Highest MA: 18.6% |
12.4%±3.6 MA: 18.6% |
10.7%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Chesterfield 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 | — | #272 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Chesterfield-Goshen | Wareham | Athol-Royalston |
| High school in town | None in town | Wareham Senior High | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 8.6 |
— |
| 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.