What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Amherst has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Amherst
People
Population	14,449Highest	11,861Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 4% below NH	45.9±3.5Highest 6% above NH
	Amherst and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Amherst and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.2%±3Highest NH: 20.1%
	Amherst and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest NH: 40.6%	65.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	3.7%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%
	Pelham and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kLowest 37% above NH	$153,196±$10kHighest 55% above NH
	Amherst and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 37% above NH	$537,600±$30kLowest 34% above NH
	Pelham and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest 4% below NH	$1,462±$256Highest about the NH average
	Amherst and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Lowest 30% above NH	$9,773Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%	31.4%±9Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	4.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	91.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 10% above NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#20 of 120 in NH
School district	Pelham School District	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District
High school in town	Pelham High School	Souhegan Coop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4	10.4
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.