What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hanover has the highest household income ($190k).

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	Hanover
People
Population	23,302Highest	14,845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±3.1Highest 30% above MA	41.8±1.4Lowest 4% above MA
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	26.1%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9%	16.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	56.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Hanover 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	$189,803±$23kHighest 83% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,500±$21kLowest 24% below MA	$755,400±$39kHighest 34% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA	$1,845±$341Highest 5% above MA
	Hanover and Wareham 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	$9,342Highest 56% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	65%±23.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Hanover and Wareham 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%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.5%Highest 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 minLowest 5% below MA	32 minHighest 10% above MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.6%±4.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Hanover 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	#69 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Hanover · South Shore Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	South Shore Vocational Technical High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	10.3Highest
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.