Compare towns
Bedford vs Jay vs Sandgate
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bedford has the most expensive homes ($612k median).
Jay has the most homeowners (97%).
Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).
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 | Jay | Sandgate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 23,746Highest |
471 |
435Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +10%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 45±2.2Lowest 16% above U.S. |
52.1±10.5 34% above U.S. |
55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S. |
| Sandgate and Jay 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% |
14.2%±7.3 U.S.: 22% |
13.1%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Bedford and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.5%±2.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
15.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
26%±11.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Sandgate 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% |
45.1% U.S.: 35.7% |
37.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
1.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.3%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bedford and Sandgate 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. |
$74,792±$25k 7% below U.S. |
$69,167±$19kLowest 14% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S. |
$234,200±$45k 30% below U.S. |
$193,800±$31kLowest 42% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,099±$274 49% above U.S. |
— | — |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $9,803Highest 214% above U.S. |
$3,588 15% above U.S. |
$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40%±100 U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bedford and Jay 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% |
8.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
97%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
94.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990 10 yrs newer than U.S. |
2001Highest 21 yrs newer than U.S. |
1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest 4% below U.S. |
40 minHighest 50% above U.S. |
27 min 3% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 27%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
27.3%±13.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Sandgate and Jay 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 | — | — |
| School district | Bedford School District | Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School District | — |
| High school in town | Bedford High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.5 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.