What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kennebunk has the most people working from home (32.5%).

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	Kennebunk
People
Population	14,449Highest	11,820Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	54.6±3.3Highest 40% above U.S.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Kennebunk 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%	30%±4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	51.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$107,804±$8kLowest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.	$487,700±$21kLowest 47% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88 about the U.S. average	$1,425±$290 about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$4,999Lowest 60% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.1%±10.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1983Lowest 3 yrs newer 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%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.5%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kennebunk and Pelham 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	#9 of 133 in ME
School district	Pelham School District	RSU 21
High school in town	Pelham High School	Kennebunk High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	11.6Highest
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.