Chatham is a somewhat small coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 6,680 people and two constituent neighborhoods, Chatham is the 225th largest community in Massachusetts.

Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Chatham is neither predominently one or the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Chatham is a town of sales and office workers, professionals, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Chatham who work in sales jobs (15.62%), management occupations (10.25%), and office and administrative support jobs (9.46%).

Of important note, Chatham is also a town of artists. Chatham has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Chatham's character.

A relatively large number of people in Chatham telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.31% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Chatham is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town's population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

Seniors make up 34.64% of Chatham's population, making it a popular place to retire. Because of the prominence of the retirement community, Chatham is good place for those over 65 to settle, as they will find many opportunities for socializing, as well as having access to many services oriented toward seniors.

The town is also nautical, which means that parts of Chatham are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Chatham spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 17.92 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.

As is often the case in a small town, Chatham doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Chatham Information and Demographics

The population of Chatham is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 14.96% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 42.74% of adults in Chatham have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Chatham in 2000 was $28,594, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $114,376 for a family of four.

The people who call Chatham home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Chatham is White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Chatham include English, Irish, German, Italian, French, Scottish, Swedish, Polish, and Scotch-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Chatham is English.