What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).

Dudley has the most affordable homes ($393k 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	Dudley
People
Population	14,449Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Pelham and Dudley 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%	20.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Dudley 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%	16.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dudley 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$84,604±$12kLowest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.	$392,600±$19kLowest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average	$1,217±$182Lowest 14% below U.S.
	Pelham and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$3,691Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Pelham High School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	14.3Highest
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.