What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wareham has the most homeowners (83.5%).

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k 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	Boston
People
Population	23,302Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Boston and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA
	Boston 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	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Lowest 28% below MA	$4,456Highest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Boston 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%	16.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Highest 6 yrs older than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% below MA	30 minHighest 4% above MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#272 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	18.7Highest
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.