What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peabody has the most kids (18.7% 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	Peabody
People
Population	23,302Lowest	54,695Highest
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	45.3±2.4Lowest 13% above MA
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Highest MA: 17.9%	24.3%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Wareham and Peabody 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%	35%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Wareham and Peabody 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	$96,657±$4kHighest 7% below MA
	Peabody 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	$596,200±$12kHighest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Lowest 15% below MA	$1,950±$99Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Lowest 28% below MA	$5,065Highest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Peabody and Wareham 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%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Wareham and Peabody 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	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Wareham	Peabody
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Peabody Veterans Memorial 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.