What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the most affordable homes ($433k median).

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

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	Townsend	Pelham
People
Population	9,100Lowest	14,449Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.
	Pelham and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Townsend and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kLowest 51% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
	Pelham and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kLowest 30% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,425±$88Lowest about the U.S. average
	Townsend and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Pelham School District
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	10.4Lowest
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.