West ChathamMA
A town of 1,258, settled in 1829.
Is West Chatham a good place to live?
42% of residents are 65 or older in West Chatham, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 2 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher January low than West Chatham. 23% of the land in West Chatham is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest park or preserve is Sam Ryder Conservation Area, at 57 acres. We don’t grade West Chatham yet; the figures below are still real.
West Chatham lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 18% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
- Hardings Beach Road Directions ↗
- White Pond Beach
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
SS Pendleton and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Chatham. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Ancient siteSS Pendleton
3 mi National SeashoreCape Cod National Seashore3.7M visitors a year
37 mi MuseumPlimoth Patuxet
28 mi LandmarkPilgrim Monument
13 mi MuseumElephant House
27 mi MuseumSandwich Historical Society and Glass MuseumPhoto 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 · 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 · Sandwich Historical Society and Glass Museum: Andrewrabbott, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to West Chatham: who provides what
West Chatham 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in West Chatham.
In West Chatham, 22.6% of the land is conserved
Walkers can cover 6.2 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. West Chatham’s density of trails is 1.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bailey Parcel | 1.7 mi | 43 |
| 2. Sylvan Gardens | 0.6 mi | 7 |
| 3. Old Queen Anne Road | 0.5 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A typical July afternoon in West Chatham is cooler than in the typical Massachusetts or U.S. town
Expect chilly winters and pleasant summers in West Chatham. 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
West Chatham stands out in Massachusetts and nationally, with more of its residents who live below the poverty line
Commuting out is the norm in West Chatham: 4% of working residents work locally. Its mean commuting time comes in at 21 minutes. Jobs in West Chatham grew by 109 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 491. For half of commuters, work is under 14 miles away.
| West Chatham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.8% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Chatham faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 64% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 52% of West Chatham’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 27% to hurricanes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy West Chatham is
For adults in West Chatham, the share who report frequent mental distress is 12%. Against the Massachusetts average, West Chatham comes out ahead on 16 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 6. No town among the 280 in Massachusetts we compare has a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than West Chatham.
| West Chatham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 88% | 82% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | West Chatham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.4% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.2% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.8% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in West Chatham sells for about $1,000K
Among households in West Chatham, 84% live in a home they own. In West Chatham, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,772 a month. A home in West Chatham typically sold within 19 days of listing.
| West Chatham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,772 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about West Chatham
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of West Chatham; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 West Chatham residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
West Chatham has grown 15% from 2010 to 2020
1,410 counted in 2010 and 1,619 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
About West Chatham
Census-designated place in Massachusetts, United States
West Chatham is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Chatham in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, West Chatham had a population of 1,619.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 49 ft
- ZIP code
- 02669
West Chatham’s neighbors
One town shares a border with West Chatham.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Chatham | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chatham | #141 | B+ | D | A− | B | A |
West Chatham isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare West Chatham with a neighbor →
Questions about West Chatham
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Chatham, MA a good place to live?
We don’t grade West Chatham yet; the figures below are still real.