Compare towns
Bedford vs Bow vs Brentwood
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bedford has the most people working from home (27%).
Bow has the most kids (25% under 18).
Brentwood has the most homeowners (96%).
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.
| Measure | Bedford | Bow | Brentwood |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 23,746Highest |
8,335 |
4,641Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +10%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+9.4% NH: +4.6% |
+0.1%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 45±2.2Highest 4% above NH |
41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH |
43.8±3.1 about the NH average |
| Bedford and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.7%±2.5 NH: 18.2% |
25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2% |
21.4%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Bow and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.5%±2.1 NH: 20.1% |
17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1% |
21.8%±3.7Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Brentwood and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 63%Highest NH: 40.6% |
60.3% NH: 40.6% |
49%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±2.1 NH: 6% |
5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6% |
3.6%±2.4Lowest NH: 6% |
| Bow and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $167,418±$12k 69% above NH |
$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH |
$165,509±$23kLowest 67% above NH |
| Bow 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±$26kHighest 52% above NH |
$506,500±$34kLowest 26% above NH |
$528,100±$75k 31% above NH |
| Bedford and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,099±$274 41% above NH |
$1,539±$178Lowest 3% above NH |
$2,217±$654Highest 49% above NH |
| Brentwood and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $9,803Highest 47% above NH |
$9,584Lowest 44% above NH |
$9,713 46% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.4%±15.3 NH: 48.2% |
39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2% |
63.9%±37.7Highest NH: 48.2% |
| Brentwood and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
3.3%Highest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
87.5% NH: 72.8% |
96%Highest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990 11 yrs newer than NH |
1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH |
1995Highest 16 yrs newer than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest 5% below NH |
27 min about the NH average |
28 minHighest 4% above NH |
| Work from home | 27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8% |
22.7%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8% |
23.1%±8.5 NH: 16.8% |
| Bedford and Brentwood 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 | #26 of 120 in NH | #16 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Bedford School District | Bow School District | Brentwood School District |
| High school in town | Bedford High School | Bow High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.5Highest |
12.8Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | 6 photos → |
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.