Compare towns
Wareham vs Wolcott vs Fairhaven
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 people working from home (12.4%).
Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k median).
Fairhaven has the most renters (25.6% rent).
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 | Wolcott | Fairhaven |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 23,302Highest |
16,279 |
15,903Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +0.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 52.1±3.1Highest 34% above U.S. |
44.4±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S. |
48.5±3.4 25% above U.S. |
| Wareham and Fairhaven 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% |
19.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
16.9%±2.7 U.S.: 22% |
| Wolcott and Fairhaven 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% |
18.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.9%±2.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Wareham and Fairhaven 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% |
37%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
32.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.3%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Wareham and Wolcott 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. |
$110,850±$10kHighest 37% above U.S. |
$95,965±$19k 19% above U.S. |
| Wolcott and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $424,500±$21k 28% above U.S. |
$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average |
$446,700±$19kHighest 34% above U.S. |
| Fairhaven and Wareham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,504±$180Highest 6% above U.S. |
$1,464±$913 4% above U.S. |
$1,118±$79Lowest 21% below U.S. |
| Wareham and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,341 39% above U.S. |
$5,799Highest 86% above U.S. |
$3,566Lowest 14% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.4%±23.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
49.8%±24.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
51.1%±14 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Wareham and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 83.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
74.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958 22 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minLowest 4% above U.S. |
30 minHighest 13% above U.S. |
29 min 8% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
11.4%±3.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Wareham and Fairhaven 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 | #76 of 149 in CT | #126 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Wareham | Wolcott School District | Fairhaven |
| High school in town | Wareham Senior High | Wolcott High School | Fairhaven High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 8.6Lowest |
10.1 |
11.4Highest |
| 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.