States · Massachusetts · Barnstable County

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

A community in Barnstable County, with no city government of its own. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Barnstable County’s.

Living in Buzzards Bay, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Buzzards Bay, in Barnstable County, had 4,279 people in the 2020 census. Half its households earn more than $94,388 a year and half less, against $95,241 across Barnstable County; 7% of its people live below the poverty line. 76% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 24% are rented. Unemployment in Barnstable County was 3.8% in August 2026, and the county had 0.2% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most residents work in restaurants and hotels, then schools and health care.

People 4,279 in the 2020 census
Household income $94,388 the median, give or take $11,533 · Barnstable County: $95,241
Unemployment 3.8% Barnstable County, August 2026; 3.7% a year before
Homes 76% lived in by their owners; 24% rented
  • 1,372households
  • 30%of adults have a degree
  • 7%below the poverty line
  • 32 mintypical commute
  • 17%work from home

What residents work in

  • Restaurants, hotels and entertainment18%
  • Schools, hospitals and social care17%
  • Shops (retail)11%
  • Professional and business services11%
  • Building trades10%
  • Banks, insurance and property10%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Barnstable County had 96,491 jobs in 2025, 0.2% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 39° and 22°; warmest in July, 81° and 64° 20° 40° 60° 80° J 39° 22° F M A M J J 81° 64° A S O N D
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 39° and 22°; warmest in July, 81° and 64° 20° 40° 60° 80° J 39° 22° F M A M J J 81° 64° A S O N D

Coldest in January, with highs near 39° and lows near 22°; warmest in July, with highs near 81° and lows near 64°. About 37 inches of snow and 51 inches of rain and melted snow a year.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the East Wareham weather station, 3 miles away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Buzzards Bay

  1. Massachusetts Maritime AcademyUniversity or college357
  2. Royal CapeCodSkilled nursing facilities85
  3. Compass Group83
  4. U.s. Coast GuardFederal government · Department of Homeland Security45
  5. Buzzards BayMail and parcel delivery25
  6. Ocean State Job Lot MA1213All other general merchandise retailers24

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 4 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 217 people in all. Colleges come from IPEDS (NCES, 2023–24) and federal offices from OPM's federal workforce data (2026). Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. Coastal floodingRelatively moderate
  2. HurricanesRelatively moderate
  3. LightningRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in Buzzards Bay’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively low. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Barnstable County.