What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k 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	Thompson
People
Population	23,302Highest	9,337Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52.1±3.1Lowest 34% above U.S.	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.
	Thompson and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wareham and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wareham and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wareham and Thompson 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.	$93,629±$18kHighest 16% above U.S.
	Thompson 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.	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$180Highest 6% above U.S.	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Wareham and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,341Highest 39% above U.S.	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±23.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson 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%	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	12.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Wareham	Thompson School District
High school in town	Wareham Senior High	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Highest	7.9Lowest
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.