Chatham, Massachusetts

Community in Barnstable County · population 1,551 (2020 Census)

Median home: $1,866,800
Household income: $83,750
Jan low / Jul high: 25° / 76°
Snow a year: 25 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 66.6

Chatham is a community of 1,551 people in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The median home is worth $1,866,800, above the typical Massachusetts town ($510,150). It ranks better for a vacation home than 99% of Massachusetts towns, better for retirees than 92% of Massachusetts towns, more seaside character than 90% of Massachusetts towns.

Chatham in our rankings:

How Chatham ranks

Percentile among Massachusetts towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Massachusetts towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Chatham is worth $1,866,800, above the typical Massachusetts town ($510,150). Homes cost about 22.3 times the median household income of $83,750, which is more affordable than 0% of Massachusetts towns. Median rent is $1,311 a month. 72.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Massachusetts towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Chatham	Typical Massachusetts town
Median home value	$1,866,800	$510,150
Median rent	$1,311	$1,561
Median household income	$83,750	$108,622
Home value ÷ income	22.3×	4.5×
Homeownership	72.9%	80.7%
Median year built	1970	1968
Seasonal / vacation homes	55.3%	—

Who lives in Chatham

People	Chatham	Typical Massachusetts town
Median age	66.6	44.8
Age 65 and over	53.5%	20.7%
Under 18	5.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	60.7%	45.7%
Below the poverty line	14.2%	6.3%
Veterans	11.6%	—
Born outside the U.S.	4.3%	—
Work from home	14.2%	17.7%
Average commute	18.3 min	30.1 min
Homes with broadband	92.0%	93.9%

Weather in Chatham

July highs average 75.9°F and January lows 24.9°F. About 45.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 24.5 inches of snow (typical Massachusetts town: 49.5 in). Expect about 0 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 83 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Chatham station (1.2 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Chatham since 1950, compared with 8 for the typical Massachusetts town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on July 23, 2019 about 3.9 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 23, 2019.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on August 7, 2014.

Severe weather in Barnstable County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Barnstable County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Barnstable County has been included in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 15, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3599: Hurricane Lee
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4496: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3438: Covid-19
June 25, 2018	Severe Storm	DR-4372: Severe Winter Storm And Flooding
April 13, 2015	Severe Storm	DR-4214: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Barnstable County

Barnstable County had 96,280 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $64,707 a year. Unemployment was 4.2% in 2023; in Chatham itself the ACS puts it at 7.7%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Chatham

West Chatham, MA
1.6 mi · 1,619 people · home $739,600
Chatham, MA
3.7 mi · 6,594 people · home $942,800
East Harwich, MA
4.3 mi · 5,250 people · home $638,900
Harwich Port, MA
5.3 mi · 1,899 people · home $815,500
Harwich Center, MA
5.5 mi · 1,995 people · home $636,800
Harwich, MA
5.8 mi · 13,440 people · home $658,600
Orleans, MA
6.3 mi · 6,307 people · home $957,000
Brewster, MA
7.4 mi · 10,318 people · home $707,700

Chatham questions

Is Chatham, Massachusetts a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Chatham scores better for retirees than 92% of Massachusetts towns and quieter than 83%. 53.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 66.6).

How much does a house cost in Chatham?

The median owner-occupied home in Chatham is valued at $1,866,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $83,750, so homes cost about 22.3 times income. Median rent is $1,311 a month.

What is the weather like in Chatham?

July highs average 75.9°F and January lows 24.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 45.9 inches of precipitation a year and 24.5 inches of snow.

Does Chatham get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Chatham since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on July 23, 2019. The typical Massachusetts town has had 8.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Chatham's Census boundary (GEOID 2512960). Comparisons use the median of Massachusetts towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.