What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Billerica has the most expensive homes ($612k 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	Billerica
People
Population	14,449Lowest	42,003Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	43.3±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Billerica and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	18%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Billerica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Billerica 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% U.S.: 35.7%	40% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Billerica 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 68% above U.S.	$148,200±$8kHighest 84% above U.S.
	Billerica 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±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.	$612,000±$13kHighest 84% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,282±$173Highest 62% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$6,358Lowest 104% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.3%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.4%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.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pelham and Billerica 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	#48 of 120 in NH	#146 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Billerica · Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Pelham High School	Billerica Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	14.1Highest
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.