What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has the most people working from home (27%).

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k 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	Gorham
People
Population	23,746Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH	53.9±3.6Highest 24% above NH
Kids under 18	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%	12.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	31.7%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Gorham 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	$61,275±$7kLowest 38% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$161,600±$49kLowest 60% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 47% above NH	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%	41%±20.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Gorham 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%	4.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Bedford High School	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.