What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alton has the most affordable homes ($430k median).

Bedford has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Alton	Bedford
People
Population	5,994Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	+10%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.7±3.2Highest 24% above NH	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH
Kids under 18	13.4%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.1%±4.5Highest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Alton and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,715±$19kLowest 15% above NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,400±$37kLowest 7% above NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,099±$274 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,183Lowest 37% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.7%±27.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above NH	25 minLowest 5% below NH
Work from home	13.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#72 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Prospect Mountain JMA School District · Alton School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Prospect Mountain High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.