What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most affordable homes ($553k median).

Andover has the most expensive homes ($856k 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	Andover
People
Population	14,449Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.9±1Highest 10% above U.S.
	Andover 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 U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Andover and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pelham and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kLowest 68% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Lowest 177% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Pelham High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	12.8Highest
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.