Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Chatham

Cape & Islands · pop. 6,160

The elbow of the Cape. Chatham is where old Cape Cod money comes to stay: white clapboard, the Chatham Bars Inn, the fish pier, and some of the most dramatic ocean-meets-bay real estate in New England.

Coastal QuietHistoric VillageCoastal Tourist
Livability Index
61
/ 100
Ranks #95 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$1.31M
15.4× household income
Household income
$85k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
123 min
peak driving
Population
6,160
5-yr trend 65/100

How Chatham scores

Schools
85
Safety
92
Walkability
48
Transit
10
Biking
28
Dining
68
Nightlife
32
Arts & Culture
52
Green Space
50
Diversity
18
Climate
62

Who lives in Chatham

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
64.2
Foreign-born
5.4%
Bachelor's or higher
63.1%
Population
6,607
White91.9%
Hispanic / Latino1.5%
Asian2.5%
Black0.5%
Other / multi3.6%

Schools in Chatham

Monomoy Regional School District School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Above average
55/100
ELA · 3-8
p56
46.3%
Math · 3-8
p49
46.7%
ELA · 10
p46
55.7%
Math · 10
p50
48.9%
Grad rate
97.4%
Top 25% in MA
Spend / pupil
$25.5k
Top 25% in MA
Teachers / 100
9.9
Top 25% in MA
Enrollment
1,746

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Buyers who want the genuine Cape Cod village experience and can handle a 15x+ price-to-income ratio.
The tradeoff
Income ($85K median) is dramatically out of step with home prices ($1.3M), making this largely a second-home and retiree market.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

Want more context on Chatham than a page can hold?

I can tell you which streets trade differently, what actually shows up under $1.3M, and whether the schools story matches what you'd want for your kid. I reply personally, within 1 business day, no auto-dialer.

Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Chatham lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Chatham.

Chatham appears in

Rankings where Chatham qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Chatham.

Want my honest read on Chatham?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll reply personally within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.