What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wareham has the most affordable homes ($425k median).

Barnstable Town has the most expensive homes ($603k 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	Wareham	Barnstable Town
People
Population	23,302Lowest	49,568Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA	49.1±1.9Lowest 23% above MA
	Wareham and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	17.2%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Barnstable Town and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	42.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	5.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA	$91,982±$6kHighest 12% below MA
	Barnstable Town and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA	$602,500±$14kHighest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA	$1,917±$127Highest 9% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Highest 28% below MA	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest MA: 10%	7.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Wareham and Barnstable Town 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	#189 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Barnstable
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Barnstable High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	10.6Highest
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.