What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has the most affordable homes ($612k median).

Andover has the most expensive homes ($856k 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	Andover
People
Population	23,746Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Bedford and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Andover and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,418±$12kLowest 107% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
	Andover and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kLowest 84% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Lowest 49% above U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
	Andover and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Lowest 214% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Andover and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Bedford School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Bedford High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.