What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has the highest household income ($167k).

Exeter has the most affordable homes ($457k 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	Exeter
People
Population	23,746Highest	16,151Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH	45.8±2.3Highest 6% above NH
	Exeter 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 NH: 18.2%	17%±2.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.4%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Exeter 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%	59.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
	Exeter 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±$12kHighest 69% above NH	$110,346±$13kLowest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$456,600±$21kLowest 13% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH	$1,856±$223Lowest 24% above NH
	Bedford and Exeter 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	$8,814Lowest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%	59%±11.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Exeter 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%	4.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below NH	25 minLowest 7% below NH
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Bedford High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	12.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	59 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.