What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

Brattleboro has the most affordable homes ($257k 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	Brattleboro
People
Population	23,746Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Lowest 16% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro 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 U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bedford and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Brattleboro 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%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Bedford School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Bedford High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	9.0Lowest
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.