What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hawley has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Wareham has the most expensive 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	Hawley	Wareham
People
Population	277Lowest	23,302Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.8% MA: +7.4%
Median age	56.8±7.2Highest 42% above MA	52.1±3.1Lowest 30% above MA
	Hawley and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±10Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hawley and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.2%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±5.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,500±$26kLowest 16% below MA	$90,383±$11kHighest 13% below MA
	Wareham and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,600±$38kLowest 45% below MA	$424,500±$21kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,504±$180 15% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,097Lowest 32% below MA	$4,341Highest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest MA: 10%	6.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 6% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	19.3%±12.6Highest MA: 18.6%	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hawley 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	—	Wareham
High school in town	—	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.6
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.