What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Litchfield has the most affordable homes ($485k 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	Litchfield
People
Population	23,746Highest	8,499Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH	43.1±1.7Lowest about the NH average
	Bedford and Litchfield 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%	22.6%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%	14.9%±2.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63%Highest NH: 40.6%	46.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	4.4%±1.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Litchfield 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	$162,036±$11kLowest 64% above NH
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$485,000±$18kLowest 20% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Lowest 41% above NH	$2,138±$406Highest 43% above NH
	Litchfield and Bedford 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	$8,273Lowest 24% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	81.5%±38.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Litchfield and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	86.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1987Lowest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below NH	29 minHighest 9% above NH
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%	21%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bedford and Litchfield 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	#53 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	Litchfield School District
High school in town	Bedford High School	Campbell High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	11.4Lowest
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.