What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Holbrook has the most affordable homes ($465k 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	Holbrook
People
Population	23,746Highest	11,380Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	42.8±3.2Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Bedford and Holbrook 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%	21.2%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Holbrook 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%	19.1%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bedford and Holbrook 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%	34.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Holbrook 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 107% above U.S.	$115,210±$14kLowest 43% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$465,400±$21kLowest 40% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,094±$423Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$6,105Lowest 96% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.8%±18.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Holbrook 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%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	38 minHighest 44% above U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#234 of 282 in MA
School district	Bedford School District	Holbrook
High school in town	Bedford High School	Holbrook Middle High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	14.3Highest
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.