Population 1,602 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Onset
Household size in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.06 | 2.54 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 1.93 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 1.52 | 2.60 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.23 | 2.55 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.17 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Onset is a place of small households, averaging 2.23 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has climbed from 2.06 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.8 | 38.9 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 48.2 | 39.7 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 59.5 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.0 | 40.8 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | −4.8 | +1.9 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Onset is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 38.0, against 40.1 nationally.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.5% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.9% | 10.2% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 0.4% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.3% | 9.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | −4.2 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in eight households in Onset (11.3%), close to the national share of 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in the Boston area as a whole (9.7%).
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Onset
Renters in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.6% | 36.8% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 34.7% | 38.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.8% | 38.3% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 10.4% | 38.4% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −18.2 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Onset is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 10.4% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 17.2% have no mortgage at all, well below the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 48.6% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 50.5% | 7.4% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 58.1% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 41.6% | 6.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −7.0 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Onset: 41.6% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1946 | 1958 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1939 | 1959 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1941 | 1961 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1940 | 1964 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | −6 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in Onset is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1940, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,056 | $1,171 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,048 | $1,251 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,353 | $1,537 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,643 | $2,051 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$587 | +$881 | +$775 | +$606 |
Rent in Onset runs $1,643 a month at the median, utilities included, close to the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents here are lower than in the Boston area as a whole ($2,051). The typical renter here spends 23.1% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Onset
Bachelor's degrees in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.9% | 42.2% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.7% | 44.1% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 19.3% | 48.2% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 27.2% | 51.9% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +5.3 pts | +9.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are less common in Onset than nationally: 27.2% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 89.7% | 89.8% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 89.5% | 90.6% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.4% | 91.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 98.9% | 91.8% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +9.2 pts | +2.1 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Onset: 98.9% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Onset
| Period | Onset | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.3% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 0.2% | 8.0% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 20.4% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | +2.8 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Onset runs well above the national rate: 11.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Onset compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onset | 2.23 | 38.0 | 11.3% | 10.4% | 41.6% | 1940 | $1,643 | 27.2% | 98.9% | 11.1% |
| East Wareham | 2.45 | 46.2 | 12.5% | 13.6% | 10.5% | 1963 | $1,542 | 25.4% | 94.5% | 1.8% |
| Wareham Center | 2.18 | 49.8 | 11.5% | 20.7% | 14.8% | 1959 | $1,523 | 28.8% | 93.2% | 4.6% |
| South Wareham | 2.49 | 47.5 | 4.1% | 23.5% | 16.2% | 1973 | $1,521 | 32.6% | 84.4% | 7.4% |
| Buzzards Bay | 2.07 | 52.4 | 9.0% | 25.0% | 18.4% | 1971 | $1,383 | 39.9% | 94.4% | 6.2% |
| Wareham | 2.67 | 49.6 | 6.5% | 11.8% | 13.1% | 1984 | $1,410 | 21.8% | 91.8% | 3.0% |
| Monument Beach | 2.44 | 43.8 | 5.1% | 20.2% | 16.7% | 1982 | $1,537 | 44.8% | 96.6% | 6.6% |
| White Island Shores | 2.56 | 45.3 | 7.5% | 14.3% | 10.3% | 1985 | $1,973 | 46.4% | 95.3% | 6.9% |
| Pocasset | 2.34 | 51.3 | 7.2% | 21.4% | 37.0% | 1973 | $1,072 | 48.5% | 98.5% | 5.4% |
| Bournedale | 2.24 | 54.9 | 10.3% | 14.3% | 14.9% | 1980 | $1,802 | 52.2% | 98.4% | 10.4% |
| Marion | 2.40 | 52.2 | 11.5% | 8.8% | 22.8% | 1960 | $1,209 | 49.6% | 97.0% | 5.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Arkoma, OK · Arnoldsville, GA · Beaver Springs, PA · Blanchard, ID · Bolivar, NY · Winthrop, NY · New Springfield, OH · Strattanville, PA · Stanton, TN · Simmesport, LA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Onset. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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