What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

Pelham has the most homeowners (86.7%).

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	Boston	Pelham
People
Population	666,442Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 21% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 43% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pelham and Boston 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	#258 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Pelham School District
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	10.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.