What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Randolph
People
Population	14,449Highest	4,843Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.	40.4±7.4Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Pelham and Randolph 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%	17.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Randolph 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%	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	11.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$76,758±$6kLowest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.	$278,700±$38kLowest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average	$1,172±$173Lowest 17% below U.S.
	Pelham and Randolph 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.	$4,698Lowest 51% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	54.1%±17.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Randolph 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%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#55 of 70 in VT
School district	Pelham School District	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	Pelham High School	Randolph Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	9.4Lowest
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.