What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salem has the most affordable homes ($473k 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	Salem
People
Population	23,746Lowest	30,964Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH	44.6±2.7Lowest 3% above NH
	Bedford and Salem 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%	16.2%±2.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%	18.6%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Bedford and Salem 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%	38.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Salem 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	$110,490±$9kLowest 12% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$473,300±$16kLowest 18% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH	$1,625±$146Lowest 9% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 47% above NH	$6,992Lowest 5% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%	44.5%±9.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Salem 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%	5%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older 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%	16.3%±2.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#38 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	Salem School District
High school in town	Bedford High School	Salem High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	11.2Lowest
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.