What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Harwich has the most expensive homes ($659k 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	Harwich
People
Population	23,302Highest	13,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±3.1Lowest 30% above MA	58.6±1.5Highest 47% above MA
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%	11.7%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wareham and Harwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	35.8%±3.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	50.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.4%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,383±$11kLowest 13% below MA	$96,966±$13kHighest 7% below MA
	Harwich 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	$658,600±$26kHighest 17% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA	$2,017±$738Highest 14% above MA
	Harwich and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Highest 28% below MA	$4,189Lowest 30% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	56.7%±24.4Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harwich 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%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	25 minLowest 14% below MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	17.3%±4.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Harwich 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	#157 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Monomoy Regional School District · Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Monomoy Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	11.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	6 photos →

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.