Harwich is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 13,595 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.

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 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 great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Harwich a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Harwich has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Harwich’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Harwich has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Harwich a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.

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.

Harwich is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 45.83% of adults in Harwich have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

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.