What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dalton has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

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	Dalton
People
Population	23,302Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA	49.7±5.8Lowest 24% above MA
	Wareham and Dalton 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%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dalton 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%	44.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,383±$11kHighest 13% below MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
	Wareham and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,500±$21kHighest 24% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Highest 15% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Highest 28% below MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Dalton 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%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Highest 6 yrs older than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dalton 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	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	10.9Highest
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.