What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most affordable homes ($553k median).

Wakefield has the most expensive homes ($724k 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	Wakefield
People
Population	14,449Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
	Wakefield 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%	20%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Wakefield 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%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield 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 U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Wakefield 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 68% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kLowest 66% above U.S.
	Pelham and Wakefield 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.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$7,779Lowest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wakefield 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	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Pelham High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	10.7Highest
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.