What stands out worked out from the figures below

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Pelham has the highest household income ($136k).

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	Laconia	Pelham
People
Population	17,085Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10.3%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH	41.5±2.7Lowest 4% below NH
	Laconia and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	22%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Pelham and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%	16.5%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	40%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	5.9%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH	$135,956±$19kHighest 37% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH	$552,600±$27kHighest 37% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH	$1,425±$88Highest 4% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH	$8,634Highest 30% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.3%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Pelham and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	86.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below NH	30 minHighest 10% above NH
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.8%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 120 in NH	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Laconia School District	Pelham School District
High school in town	Laconia High School	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	10.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.