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First Congregational Church, Harwich Center MA
Massachusetts›Barnstable County

Harwich CenterMA

A town of 1,774.

3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
Photo of Harwich Center

Harwich Center, MA · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0 · Source ↗

Is Harwich Center a good place to live?

No town among the 284 in Massachusetts we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Harwich Center. The biggest park or preserve is Island Pond Conservation Area, at 41 acres. We don’t grade Harwich Center yet; the figures below are still real.

A growing town

Harwich Center has grown 11% from 2010 to 2020

1,798 counted in 2010 and 1,995 in 2020.

1,7982010
1,9952020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

Nearby attractions

SS Pendleton and 30 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harwich Center. Close and well known come first.

All 53 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo 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

Getting set up

Moving to Harwich Center: who provides what

Harwich Center is unincorporated, so Barnstable County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerEversource21.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHarwich Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesBarnstable CountyBarnstable County provides services here
SchoolsMonomoy Region School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereHarwich Town ClerkTown of Harwich; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes02645, 0264602645 94% · 02646 6%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Harwich Center.

Who lives here

Older than Massachusetts overall

People 65 and older are 33% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 10% of residents (19% statewide). Harwich Center’s median age is 54.5 years, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 43.4 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. 47% of Harwich Center adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.

54.5median age · MA 40
Harwich CenterMassachusetts townsU.S. towns
Median age54.5 years43.4 years40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+47%47%29%
Harwich CenterMassachusettsUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma2%
High school27%
Some college17%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate25%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 34% and 77% women

The Census survey reached too few of Harwich Center’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±21.8 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Harwich Center
Harwich CenterMAU.S.
Under 103.7%10.2%11.6%
10 to 176.5%9.2%10.3%
18 to 248.5%9.8%9.1%
25 to 3410.5%14%13.7%
35 to 447.2%13%13.2%
45 to 5414.7%12.3%12.2%
55 to 6416.1%13.6%12.7%
65 to 7420.8%10.5%10.2%
75 and older12%7.4%7%
No diploma1.8%8.6%10.4%
High school26.8%22.6%26%
Some college17.3%14.1%19.1%
Associate’s7.4%7.5%8.8%
Bachelor’s21.2%25.5%21.6%
Graduate25.4%21.8%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points

Work & commute

With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Harwich Center’s workers commute out

Most working residents leave Harwich Center for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Harwich Center has lost 327 jobs, to 489 in 2023. Harwich Center’s average trip to work is 24 minutes.

3%work in town
Harwich CenterMassachusetts townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work24 minutes30 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$85,000$120,000$80,000
Below the poverty line7.5%6%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Harwich Center3%
Harwich18%
Chatham12%
Barnstable Town11%
Dennis7%
9 mi
median commute distance
489
jobs based in Harwich Center
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Outdoors

24.1% of Harwich Center is conserved land

3.3 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves.

24.1%conserved
24.1%
conserved · 352 of 1,457 acres
3.3 mi
of trails · 1.4 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Texeira Conservation Area0.7 mi17
2. Island Pond Conservation Area0.6 mi41
3. Brooks Park0.2 mi18

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Climate

Compared with most of Massachusetts and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Harwich Center is cooler

The July high in Harwich Center is 78°F. Harwich Center has chilly winters and pleasant summers.

25″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter27–41°
Spring39–53°
Summer61–75°
Fall48–62°
Nov 3
typical first frost
Apr 13
typical last frost
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Harwich Center stands out in Massachusetts and nationally, with more of its adults who had a checkup this year

87% of adults had a checkup this year in Harwich Center. Harwich Center beats the Massachusetts average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 3.2% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Harwich Center.

Harwich CenterMassachusetts townsU.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)87%82%79%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)13%17%16%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)13%16%17%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)29%33%36%
32 measures vs. Massachusetts
15 better10 too close to call7 worse
What stands outHarwich CenterMA
Fewer adults facing food insecurity7.1%12.4%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity6.4%11.1%
More adults who have had cancer15%8.5%
Cape Cod Hospital
11 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

Harwich Center faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harwich Center.

41risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
41Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHurricanesCoastal flooding
8
paid flood claims since 1991

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

2
homes sold in May

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Harwich Center

15pages on Harwich Center
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Harwich Center

About 2 of every 100 Harwich Center residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Harwich Center for work

Where Harwich Center’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

18% → Harwich Harwich 18% 12% → Chatham Chatham 12% 11% → Barnstable Town Barnstable Town 11% 7% → Dennis Dennis 7% 6% → Boston Boston 6% 5% → Orleans Orleans 5% Harwich Center · 3% stay
489jobs based in Harwich Center
3%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Harwich Center

Census-designated place in Massachusetts, United States

Harwich Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Harwich in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, Harwich Center had a population of 1,995.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.3 sq mi

Harwich Center’s neighbors

3 towns share a border with Harwich Center.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownMA rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Harwich Center——————
East Harwich——————
Northwest Harwich——————
Harwich Port——————

Harwich Center, East Harwich, Northwest Harwich and Harwich Port aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harwich Center with a neighbor →

Questions about Harwich Center

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Harwich Center, MA a good place to live?

We don’t grade Harwich Center yet; the figures below are still real.