What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most kids (21% under 18).

Shutesbury has the most affordable homes ($376k 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	Pelham	Shutesbury
People
Population	1,335Lowest	1,910Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±8.4Lowest 13% above MA	50.2±4.5Highest 26% above MA
	Shutesbury 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%	14.2%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Pelham and Shutesbury 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%	25.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Pelham and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	70%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.1%±3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Shutesbury and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$24kLowest 9% above MA	$123,333±$12kHighest 19% above MA
	Shutesbury and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$447,600±$33kHighest 20% below MA	$376,100±$21kLowest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,205±$560Lowest 32% below MA	$1,721±$111Highest about the MA average
	Shutesbury and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,472Highest 25% above MA	$6,642Lowest 11% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.7%±35.2Highest MA: 51.8%	40%±17Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Pelham and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.3%Highest MA: 10%	3.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	91.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 21% below MA	33 minHighest 12% above MA
Work from home	32.8%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±7.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Pelham and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Pelham	Shutesbury
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.