What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has the most affordable homes ($474k median).

Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).

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	Dracut	Pelham
People
Population	32,574Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Highest 7% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Dracut and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dracut and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kLowest 41% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
	Pelham and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kLowest 42% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 72% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 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	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Dracut	Pelham School District
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	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.