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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Chatham, MA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Chatham profile


Living in Chatham



Chatham is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 6,711 people and two associated neighborhoods, Chatham is the 225th largest community in Massachusetts.

Chatham home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Chatham real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

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.

Also of interest is that Chatham has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Chatham telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 24.93% 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.

Another notable thing is that Chatham is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Chatham’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

Because of many things, Chatham is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Chatham a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Chatham has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Chatham’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Chatham has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Chatham a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

One of the nice things about Chatham is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

If knowledge is power, Chatham is a pretty powerful place. 63.12% of the adults in Chatham have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Chatham in 2018 was $76,541, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $306,164 for a family of four. However, Chatham contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Chatham home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Chatham residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Chatham include Irish, English, German, Italian, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in Chatham is English. Other important languages spoken here include French Creole and French.


Real Estate in Popular Chatham Neighborhoods

Zip Codes in Chatham, MA