What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Manchester has the most renters (51.3% 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	Manchester
People
Population	14,449Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2.7Highest 4% below NH	38±1Lowest 12% below NH
	Pelham and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2%	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Pelham and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest NH: 40.6%	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%
	Manchester and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 37% above NH	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 37% above NH	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest 4% below NH	$1,564±$37Highest 5% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 30% above NH	$5,922Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%	50%±3.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 10% above NH	24 minLowest 10% below NH
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8%	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#115 of 120 in NH
School district	Pelham School District	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	Pelham High School	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	6 photos →

NH 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.