What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Middleborough has the most affordable homes ($469k 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	Middleborough
People
Population	14,449Lowest	24,505Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	43.4±2.1Highest 12% above U.S.
	Middleborough 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%	18.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Middleborough 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%	21.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$97,056±$7kLowest 20% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.	$468,700±$18kLowest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,706±$72Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$6,023Lowest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	57.2%±11.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Middleborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#170 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Middleborough
High school in town	Pelham High School	Middleborough High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	11.3Highest
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.