What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartford has the most affordable homes ($305k median).

Pelham has the most expensive homes ($553k median).

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	Hartford	Pelham
People
Population	10,736Lowest	14,449Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.9Highest 11% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Hartford and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,125±$7kLowest 3% below U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$304,500±$26kLowest 8% below U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,218±$118Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,773Lowest 85% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±12.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 30% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#34 of 70 in VT	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Hartford School District	Pelham School District
High school in town	Hartford High School	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	10.4Highest
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.