What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lawrence has the most renters (71.9% rent).

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	Lawrence	Pelham
People
Population	88,736Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lawrence and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kLowest 25% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#278 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Lawrence	Pelham School District
High school in town	Lawrence High School	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	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.