What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Royalton
People
Population	23,746Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Bedford and Royalton 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%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton 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%	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton 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 107% above U.S.	$103,938±$24kLowest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$4,675Lowest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Royalton 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%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bedford and Royalton 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	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Bedford School District	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Bedford High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	8.7Lowest
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.