What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has the most people working from home (32.4%).

Hooksett has the most affordable homes ($407k 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	Bedford	Hooksett
People
Population	14,727Lowest	15,057Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.6Highest 14% above U.S.	41.3±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Bedford and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bedford and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	69.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	39.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hooksett and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,400±$23kHighest 114% above U.S.	$117,962±$11kLowest 46% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$898,500±$43kHighest 170% above U.S.	$407,000±$26kLowest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,622±$327Highest 86% above U.S.	$1,661±$206Lowest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$6,554Lowest 110% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±16.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	32.4%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 282 in MA	#30 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford	Hooksett School District
High school in town	Bedford High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2	—
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.