What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstead has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Barnstead	Bedford
People
Population	4,994Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.8±3.1Lowest about the NH average	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH
	Bedford and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±4.8Highest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Barnstead and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Barnstead and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,660±$12kLowest 13% above NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,400±$25kLowest 10% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$75Lowest 6% below NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,003Lowest 10% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±50.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above NH	25 minLowest 5% below NH
Work from home	13%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#111 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Barnstead School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	None in town	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.5
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.