Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pelham grades A− overall, ranked 39th of 125 in New Hampshire. The median household earns $136K. Residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it reports less crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $680K, 6.6 years of the Manchester metro’s $104K median household income. Pelham’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, against 1.2 in New Hampshire’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Pelham Library and Memorial Building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Only 7 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare have a higher July high than Pelham.
Where Pelham beats most towns.
Census counts: 791 in 1790, 14,222 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Pelham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pelham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw30 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
20 mi LakeWalden Pond
10 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
29 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
27 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pelham, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Pelham.
Pelham has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in New Hampshire and sends many workers across the state line to Lowell, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Hampshire.
48 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Elmer G. Raymond Memorial Park, 260 acres with 3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gumpas Pond Conservation Area | 3.2 mi | 124 |
| 2. Arthur H. Peabody Memorial Town Forest | 3.1 mi | 150 |
| 3. Elmer G. Raymond Memorial Park | 3 mi | 260 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Pelham School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pelham High School, with 508 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelham Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 750 | A− |
| Pelham High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 508 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Within New Hampshire it is healthier than 64% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar. Against the 3,940 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pelham’s, it is healthier than 64%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
11% of Pelham adults report frequent physical distress, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 14%. 8.7% of adults have diabetes in Pelham. Pelham beats the New Hampshire average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Pelham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 9.5% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Pelham | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.8% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Pelham sits closer to the middle. The property crime rate in Pelham is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Pelham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
42% of working residents cross a state line to work, Lowell among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 2,208 in 2013 to 2,981.
Most working residents leave Pelham for work: only 7% work in town. 23% of Pelham workers work from home. Since 2013, Pelham has added 773 jobs, to 2,981 in 2023.
| Pelham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $136,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 16% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 6.6 years of the Manchester metro’s $104K median household income, the typical home (about $680K) costs more against local pay than in 88% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. 67.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across New Hampshire.
The typical Pelham home is worth about $680,000, up 1.8% in a year, 33% above the New Hampshire typical home.
| Pelham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,425 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Hudson 1 Sse weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 14 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 321 New Hampshire places with climate records.
Pelham has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pelham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New Hampshire average. Pelham has grown 4.2% since 2020, to 14,828 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire.
| Pelham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 39% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 18% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.5 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.2 points). Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.8, men 43.0.
| Pelham | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.8% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.6% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.4% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
9 within 15 miles of the center of Pelham
About 6 of every 100 Pelham residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
12,897 counted in 2010 and 14,222 in 2020; an estimated 14,828 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
8 notable people were born in Pelham.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Pelham is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,222 at the 2020 census, up from 12,897 at the 2010 census. Pelham is a part of the Merrimack Valley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Pelham.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pelham grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #39 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Pelham sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
8 notable people were born here, including Caroline Harvey and William M. Richardson.
