For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Chatham, please see the articles on Chatham (CDP) and West Chatham.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.2 km² (24.4 mi²). 42.0 km² (16.2 mi²) of it is land and 21.2 km² (8.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 33.55% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,625 people, 3,160 households, and 1,886 families residing in the town. The population density is 157.7/km² (408.4/mi²). There are 6,743 housing units at an average density of 160.5 persons/km² (415.7 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 96.03% White, 1.77% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,160 households out of which 15.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 6.0% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 40.3% are non-families. 34.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 18.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.00 and the average family size is 2.52.
In the town the population is spread out with 13.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 34.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 54 years. For every 100 females there are 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $45,519, and the median income for a family is $56,750. Males have a median income of $41,064 versus $30,365 for females. The per capita income for the town is $28,594. 4.8% of the population and 1.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.1% are under the age of 18 and 3.7% are 65 or older.