What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westford has the highest household income ($187k).

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	Westford
People
Population	14,449Lowest	24,690Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.8±1.2Highest 10% above U.S.
	Westford 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%	25.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Westford and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pelham and Westford 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%	73.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kLowest 68% above U.S.	$187,198±$10kHighest 132% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kLowest 66% above U.S.	$748,500±$32kHighest 125% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,436±$422Highest 72% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Lowest 177% above U.S.	$9,695Highest 211% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	53%±8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1983Lowest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Westford 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	#20 of 282 in MA
School district	Pelham School District	Nashoba Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Westford
High school in town	Pelham High School	Westford Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	14.7Highest
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.