What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

Ipswich has the most affordable homes ($745k 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	Ipswich
People
Population	14,727Highest	13,930Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.6Lowest 11% above MA	47.2±3.5Highest 18% above MA
	Ipswich and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bedford and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.9%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Ipswich and Bedford 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 MA: 47.3%	60.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Ipswich 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 66% above MA	$138,750±$16kLowest 33% above MA
	Bedford and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA	$745,400±$40kLowest 33% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA	$1,598±$90Lowest 9% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$7,960Lowest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Lowest MA: 10%	5.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	74.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%	18.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 282 in MA	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Bedford	Ipswich
High school in town	Bedford High	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.