What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Lancaster
People
Population	23,746Highest	3,216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH	45.5±6.9Highest 5% above NH
	Lancaster 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%	20.9%±6.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lancaster 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%	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Lancaster 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	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 47% above NH	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Lancaster 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%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below NH	23 minLowest 14% below NH
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	White Mountains Regional 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 Our Story	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.