What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hadley has the most people working from home (20.1%).

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	Hadley
People
Population	23,302Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA
	Wareham and Hadley 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%	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley 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%	24.2%±4.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Wareham and Hadley 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%	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Wareham 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	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Highest 15% below MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
	Wareham and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Lowest 28% below MA	$5,271Highest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wareham and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley 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	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Hadley
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Highest	7.3Lowest
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.