Compare towns
Bedford vs Shelburne vs Stowe
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bedford has the highest household income ($167k).
Shelburne has the most people working from home (31.4%).
Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).
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.
| Measure | Bedford | Shelburne | Stowe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 23,746Highest |
7,969 |
5,285Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +10% U.S.: +7.4% |
+8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45±2.2Lowest 16% above U.S. |
50.9±3.2Highest 31% above U.S. |
46.3±7.6 19% above U.S. |
| Shelburne and Stowe 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% |
20.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
22.5%±4.6 U.S.: 22% |
| Bedford and Stowe 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% |
29.2%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
25.8%±6.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Shelburne and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 63%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
70.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
66.7% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S. |
$115,963±$16k 44% above U.S. |
$93,618±$33kLowest 16% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $612,100±$26k 84% above U.S. |
$588,100±$44kLowest 77% above U.S. |
$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S. |
| Stowe and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S. |
$1,442±$589Lowest about the U.S. average |
$1,458±$242 3% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $9,803Highest 214% above U.S. |
$8,173 162% above U.S. |
$7,161Lowest 130% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
43.7%±10.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bedford and Shelburne 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% |
8.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
69.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
78.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S. |
1986 6 yrs newer than U.S. |
1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minHighest 4% below U.S. |
20 min 23% below U.S. |
19 minLowest 27% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 27%±3.4 U.S.: 15.1% |
31.4%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
24.4%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Shelburne and Bedford 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 | #8 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | Bedford School District | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 | Stowe Town School District |
| High school in town | Bedford High School | None in town | Stowe High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.5Highest |
— | 11.3Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.