Compare towns
Wareham vs Salisbury vs Bourne
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Wareham has the most affordable homes ($425k median).
Salisbury has the most people working from home (28%).
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.
| Measure | Wareham | Salisbury | Bourne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 23,302Highest |
4,224Lowest |
20,323 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +3.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 52.1±3.1Highest 34% above U.S. |
44.2±9.9Lowest 14% above U.S. |
52±1.8 34% above U.S. |
| Wareham and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 13.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
19.2%±6.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
14.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
| Salisbury and Bourne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
28.1%±5.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
29.8%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bourne and Salisbury 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
58.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
46% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bourne 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 12% above U.S. |
$124,256±$26kHighest 54% above U.S. |
$91,058±$7k 13% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $424,500±$21kLowest 28% above U.S. |
$763,700±$121kHighest 130% above U.S. |
$575,600±$28k 73% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,504±$180 6% above U.S. |
$1,846±$736Highest 31% above U.S. |
$1,379±$300Lowest about the U.S. average |
| Salisbury and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,341Lowest 39% above U.S. |
$5,125Highest 64% above U.S. |
$4,485 44% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.4%±23.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
23.2%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
62.8%±5.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bourne 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 U.S.: 12.5% |
4.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
6.2% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 83.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S. |
1967 13 yrs older than U.S. |
1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 4% above U.S. |
20 minLowest 25% below U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 12.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
28%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
14.9%±3.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #272 of 282 in MA | #19 of 149 in CT | #206 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Wareham | Salisbury School District | Bourne · Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Wareham Senior High | None in town | Upper Cape Cod Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 8.6Lowest |
— | 9.8Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.