Harwich 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 13,647 people and three associated neighborhoods, Harwich is the 151st largest community in Massachusetts. Housing costs in Harwich are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.Unlike some towns, Harwich isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Harwich are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Harwich is a town of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Harwich who work in sales jobs (12.24%), management occupations (10.20%), and teaching (7.99%). Of important note, Harwich is also a town of artists. Harwich has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Harwich’s character. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 14.72% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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 Harwich 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, Harwich’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, Harwich is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Harwich really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Harwich perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live. Residents will find that the town is relatively quiet. This is because it is not over-populated, and it has fewer college students, renters, and young children - all of whom can be noisy at times. So, if you're looking for a relatively peaceful place to live, Harwich is worth considering. One of the nice things about Harwich 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. Being a small town, Harwich does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.The education level of Harwich ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Harwich, 45.83% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree. The per capita income in Harwich in 2022 was $54,092, which is middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $216,368 for a family of four. However, Harwich contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. The people who call Harwich home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Harwich residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Harwich include Irish, English, Swedish, German, and Italian. The most common language spoken in Harwich is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and French.
