East HarwichMA
With 5,654 residents, this town was settled in 1830.
Is East Harwich a good place to live?
35% of residents are 65 or older in East Harwich, above both the Massachusetts town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Only 4 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher age of the median resident than East Harwich. East Harwich’s concentration of trails is 3.6 miles per square mile, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest place to walk is Hawksnest State Park, 229 acres with 3 miles of trail. We don’t grade East Harwich yet; the figures below are still real.
94% of working residents leave East Harwich for work
Where East Harwich’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in East Harwich.
East Harwich is older than the Massachusetts average
13% of East Harwich residents are under 18. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 48%, against 47% across Massachusetts.
| East Harwich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 47% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.1 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 100% are men (MA 49%).
| East Harwich | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.2% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 4.5% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 26.4% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 23.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.7% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.3% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.5% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
A smaller share of residents live below the poverty line in East Harwich than in most of Massachusetts or the rest of the country
Employers in East Harwich added 286 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,168. The typical household income for East Harwich comes to $112,000. The top destinations are Harwich (15%), Chatham (14%) and Barnstable Town (13%). Only 6% of working residents stay in East Harwich for work; the rest commute out.
| East Harwich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In East Harwich, 18% of the land is conserved
Trails total 31 miles in 25 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hawksnest State Park | 3 mi | 229 |
| 2. Thompson's Field Conservation Area | 2.8 mi | 64 |
| 3. Harwich Conservation Trust Conservation Restriction | 1.6 mi | 58 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A typical July afternoon in East Harwich is cooler than in the typical Massachusetts or U.S. town
The seasons in East Harwich: chilly winters, pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 77°, January nights drop to 25° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy East Harwich is
Among adults in East Harwich, 85% had a checkup this year. This Massachusetts town does better than the Massachusetts average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 6. Two figures for adults locally: 14% report frequent mental distress, 30% sleep under 7 hours.
| East Harwich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 82% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | East Harwich | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.4% | 12.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in East Harwich sells for about $728K at the median
Homes sold in East Harwich spent a median 41 days on the market. The town’s median rent is $2,329 a month. Also worth knowing: for households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 92%.
| East Harwich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,329 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 92% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Top of a moderate hazard risk in East Harwich: inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in half of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in East Harwich. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 71% come from inland flooding and 22% from hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about East Harwich
SS Pendleton and 30 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Harwich. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Ancient siteSS Pendleton
5 mi National SeashoreCape Cod National Seashore3.7M visitors a year
35 mi MuseumPlimoth Patuxet
37 mi LandmarkNational Monument to the Forefathers
25 mi LandmarkPilgrim Monument
11 mi MuseumElephant HousePhoto credits
SS Pendleton: United States Coast Guard, Richard C. Kelsey, Public domain · Cape Cod National Seashore: SeduisantRedux, CC BY 3.0 · Plimoth Patuxet: Tr!sie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Monument to the Forefathers: T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Pilgrim Monument: Peter Whitlock (Transferred by adavyd/Originally uploaded by Willster3), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elephant House: Nicole Leigh Martel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to East Harwich: who provides what
East Harwich is unincorporated, so Barnstable County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of East Harwich; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 East Harwich residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
East Harwich’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with East Harwich.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Harwich | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harwich | #155 | B | D | A− | B | A |
| Harwich Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brewster | #136 | B+ | D | A− | B | A |
| Chatham | #141 | B+ | D | A− | B | A |
| Northwest Harwich | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harwich Port | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Orleans | #145 | B+ | D | B | B+ | A |
East Harwich, Harwich Center, Northwest Harwich and Harwich Port aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare East Harwich with a neighbor →
Questions about East Harwich
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is East Harwich, MA a good place to live?
We don’t grade East Harwich yet; the figures below are still real.
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