What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the most expensive homes ($1265k 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	Newton	Pelham
People
Population	89,044Highest	14,449Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±0.9Highest 8% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Newton and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Newton and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$190,304±$9kHighest 136% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kLowest 68% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,264,900±$43kHighest 280% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,370±$81Highest 68% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$8,634Lowest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	32.2%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#25 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Newton	Pelham School District
High school in town	Newton North High	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.4Lowest
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.