What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northbridge has the most affordable homes ($449k 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	Northbridge
People
Population	23,746Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Bedford and Northbridge 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%	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Northbridge 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%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bedford and Northbridge 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%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bedford and Northbridge 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.	$111,319±$19kLowest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$448,600±$15kLowest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Northbridge 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%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Bedford School District	Northbridge
High school in town	Bedford High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	10.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.