Compare towns
Pelham vs Cambridge vs Whately
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pelham has the most kids (21% under 18).
Cambridge has the most expensive homes ($1092k median).
Whately has the most homeowners (88.2%).
Cambridge is a college town. 25.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | Pelham | Cambridge | Whately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,335Lowest |
118,796Highest |
1,499 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+12.6%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+7.4% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45±8.4 13% above MA |
30.4±0.4Lowest 24% below MA |
49.3±6.7Highest 23% above MA |
| Whately and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
12.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
16.4%±3.8 MA: 19.4% |
| Pelham and Whately are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.7%±6.9Highest MA: 17.9% |
12.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9% |
24.5%±6.3 MA: 17.9% |
| Pelham and Whately are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64.8% MA: 47.3% |
80.8%Highest MA: 47.3% |
47.6%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
25.1%±1Highest MA: 7.9% |
2.5%±1.4 MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $113,750±$24kLowest 9% above MA |
$130,748±$4kHighest 26% above MA |
$116,563±$15k 12% above MA |
| Cambridge and Whately are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $447,600±$33k 20% below MA |
$1,092,100±$42kHighest 94% above MA |
$431,500±$22kLowest 23% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,205±$560 32% below MA |
$2,787±$48Highest 58% above MA |
$977±$125Lowest 45% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,472Highest 25% above MA |
$4,802Lowest 20% below MA |
$5,027 16% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.7%±35.2 MA: 51.8% |
45%±2.3Highest MA: 51.8% |
26.7%±29Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Cambridge and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.3% MA: 10% |
12.8%Highest MA: 10% |
5.4%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.1% MA: 62.5% |
33.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
88.2%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958 6 yrs older than MA |
1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA |
1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 21% below MA |
26 minHighest 11% below MA |
23 min 21% below MA |
| Work from home | 32.8%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6% |
30.8%±1.5 MA: 18.6% |
20.4%±8.5Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Pelham and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #122 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Pelham | Cambridge | Whately |
| High school in town | None in town | Cambridge Rindge and Latin | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.3 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
MA 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.