What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Nashua has the most affordable homes ($404k 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	Nashua
People
Population	23,746Lowest	91,294Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH	40±1.3Lowest 8% below NH
Kids under 18	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%	18.6%±1.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%	16.9%±1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63%Highest NH: 40.6%	41.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	5%±0.6Highest NH: 6%
	Nashua 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	$96,326±$5kLowest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$403,900±$11kLowest about the NH average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH	$1,737±$41Lowest 16% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 47% above NH	$6,799Lowest about the NH average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%	45.8%±4.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Nashua 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%	7.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	55.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below NH	26 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%	17.4%±1.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#67 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	Nashua School District
High school in town	Bedford High School	Nashua High School South
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	12.8Lowest
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.