What stands out worked out from the figures below

Melrose has the most people working from home (29.6%).

Pomfret has the most affordable homes ($409k 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	Melrose	Pomfret
People
Population	29,650Highest	4,317Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.6±1.1Lowest 12% above U.S.	45.9±3.7Highest 18% above U.S.
	Pomfret and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pomfret and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Melrose and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	50.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pomfret and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,953±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.	$108,476±$8kLowest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$822,900±$20kHighest 147% above U.S.	$409,100±$28kLowest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,970±$149Highest 39% above U.S.	$1,210±$300Lowest 14% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,578Highest 143% above U.S.	$5,903Lowest 89% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.9%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pomfret and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	29.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.2%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 282 in MA	#39 of 149 in CT
School district	Melrose	Pomfret School District
High school in town	Melrose High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
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.