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. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 14.72% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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 an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town. 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. It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Harwich has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Harwich has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Harwich than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Harwich may be for you. Harwich is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities. As is often the case in a small town, Harwich doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.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.
