What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mars Hill has the most affordable homes ($164k 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	Mars Hill	Pelham
People
Population	1,398Lowest	14,449Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±3Highest 12% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Mars Hill and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Mars Hill and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,273±$9kLowest 19% below U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,600±$23kLowest 51% below U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$488±$96Lowest 65% below U.S.	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,843Lowest 41% below U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.6%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 42/MSAD 42	Pelham School District
High school in town	Central Aroostook Jr-Sr H S	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.0Lowest	10.4Highest
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.