What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($363k 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	Sutton
People
Population	14,449Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	+7.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 4% below NH	48.1±4.1Highest 11% above NH
	Sutton 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 NH: 18.2%	20.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Pelham and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	21.6%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Sutton and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest NH: 40.6%	44.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	4.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Pelham and Sutton 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	$130,313±$31kLowest 32% above NH
	Pelham and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 37% above NH	$362,600±$16kLowest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest 4% below NH	$1,656±$614Highest 11% above NH
	Sutton and Pelham 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	$7,652Lowest 15% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±47.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Pelham and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	4.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.7%Highest 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	29 minLowest 10% above NH
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8%	14.8%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Pelham and Sutton 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	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Pelham High School	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4	10.4
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.