What stands out worked out from the figures below

Billerica has the most expensive homes ($612k median).

Pelham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Billerica	Pelham
People
Population	42,003Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.3±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Billerica and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Billerica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Billerica and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40% U.S.: 35.7%	40% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Billerica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$148,200±$8kHighest 84% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kLowest 68% above U.S.
	Billerica and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,000±$13kHighest 84% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,282±$173Highest 62% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,358Lowest 104% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.3%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	19.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pelham and Billerica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#146 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Billerica · Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical	Pelham School District
High school in town	Billerica Memorial High School	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.1Highest	10.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.