What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stafford has the most kids (21.5% 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	Stafford
People
Population	23,302Highest	11,511Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52.1±3.1Highest 34% above U.S.	46.7±4.8Lowest 20% above U.S.
	Wareham and Stafford 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%	21.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wareham and Stafford 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%	28.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wareham and Stafford 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.	$93,235±$16kHighest 15% above U.S.
	Stafford 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±$21kHighest 28% above U.S.	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Highest 6% above U.S.	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Lowest 39% above U.S.	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wareham and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wareham and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Wareham	Stafford School District
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	9.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.