What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Orford has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Orford
People
Population	14,449Highest	1,295Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 4% below NH	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2%	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest NH: 40.6%	44%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	5%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Pelham and Orford 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	$92,571±$24kLowest 7% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 37% above NH	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Highest 4% below NH	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH
	Pelham and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 30% above NH	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%	37.8%±10.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	5.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 10% above NH	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8%	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Pelham School District	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	Pelham High School	Rivendell Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	9.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.