What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most homeowners (86.7%).

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

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	Boston
People
Population	14,449Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$97,344±$2kLowest 21% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$4,456Lowest 43% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21.3%±0.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pelham and Boston 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	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Pelham High School	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	18.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.