What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the highest household income ($136k).

Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).

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	Stowe
People
Population	14,449Highest	5,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
	Stowe and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.5%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stowe and Pelham 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%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$93,618±$33kLowest 16% above U.S.
	Pelham and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
	Stowe and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,458±$242Highest 3% above U.S.
	Stowe and Pelham 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.	$7,161Lowest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stowe 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	—
School district	Pelham School District	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	Pelham High School	Stowe High School
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.