Census Data for Wareham

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Wareham a population of 22,753 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Wareham a population of 21,822 people.

The community of Wareham is located in Plymouth County. The 2010 Census gave Plymouth County; a population of 494,919 people. This means that Wareham had 4.41% of the county's total population, making it Plymouth's 7th most populous community.

At the same time, Massachusetts had a population of 6,547,629 people, meaning that Wareham had 0.33% of the total population of Massachusetts - making it the state's 88th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Wareham has a total area of 46.29 square miles [119.9 km²]. Of this total, 35.86 square miles [92.9 km²] is land, with the balance (22.53%) being water (10.43 square miles [27 km²]).

Plymouth County has a land area of 659 square miles [1,707 km²]. At 35.86 square miles [92.9 km²], Wareham has 5.44% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Wareham, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Wareham reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Wareham might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   41° 45' 38"   (or 41.76°)
  • Lon:   -70° 42' 3"   (or -70.7°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Wareham had 12,256 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 21,822 people, this averages 1.78 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Wareham had a land area of 35.86 square miles [92.9 km²]. This translates to 264.8 Housing Units per square mile [102.2 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Wareham had 10,670 Housing Units, a population of 20,335 people and a land area of 35.8 square miles [92.7 km²]. This gives a density of 1.91 people per Housing Unit and 230.6 Housing Units per square mile [89 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Wareham and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Plymouth County ...

Wareham is located in Plymouth County<4>.

The county had a population of 494,919 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 21,822 people, Wareham represented 4.41% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Wareham has a population density of 471.4 people per square mile [182 people/km²], Plymouth County averages 750 people per square mile [289.9 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Plymouth County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Wareham, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Wareham. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Wareham or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Wareham, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Wareham.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   41.760660°   (or 41°45'38" N)
  • Lon:   -70.700934°   (or -70°42'3" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   41.760784°   (or 41°45'38" N)
  • Lon:   -70.687316°   (or -70°41'14" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 3,703 feet to the west<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#618353) to Wareham. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Wareham. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   41.762604°   (or 41°45'45" N)
  • Lon:   -70.721702°   (or -70°43'18" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 5,692 feet to the east<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Wareham. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Wareham.

Miscellaneous Information for Wareham ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Plymouth County or the community of Wareham:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Wareham:
  • GNIS ID for Wareham: 618353
  • GNIS ID for Plymouth County: 606938
  • GNIS ID for State of Massachusetts: 606926

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 25 (Massachusetts)
  • County Code: 023 (Plymouth County)
  • Place Code: 72950 (Wareham)
  • State & County Code: 25/023 (Massachusetts / Plymouth County)
  • State & Place Code: 25/72950 (Massachusetts / Wareham)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Wareham is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a community like Wareham, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Wareham. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Wareham:02571<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Wareham.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wareham. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)