What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middleborough has the most affordable homes ($469k median).

Pelham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).

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	Middleborough	Pelham
People
Population	24,505Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±2.1Highest 12% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Middleborough and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Middleborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,056±$7kLowest 20% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$468,700±$18kLowest 41% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,706±$72Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,023Lowest 93% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.2%±11.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Middleborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.9%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	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#170 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Middleborough	Pelham School District
High school in town	Middleborough High	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	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.