What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($389k median).

Melrose has the most expensive homes ($823k 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	Windham	Melrose
People
Population	19,188Lowest	29,650Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.8Lowest 7% above U.S.	43.6±1.1Highest 12% above U.S.
	Melrose and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.2%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Melrose and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Melrose and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,934±$14kLowest 34% above U.S.	$133,953±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Melrose and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,900±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.	$822,900±$20kHighest 147% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.	$1,970±$149Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.	$7,578Highest 143% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.3%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Melrose and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#95 of 133 in ME	#62 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 14	Melrose
High school in town	Windham High School	Melrose High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	12.8Highest
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.