What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has the most people working from home (27%).

Strafford has the most affordable homes ($428k 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	Strafford
People
Population	23,746Highest	4,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%	+6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH	46.3±2.1Highest 7% above NH
	Strafford and Bedford 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%	17.6%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%	19.4%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Bedford and Strafford 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%	40.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Strafford 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	$122,105±$22kLowest 23% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH	$427,900±$29kLowest 6% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH	$1,635±$246Lowest 10% above NH
	Bedford and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 47% above NH	$6,086Lowest 9% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Strafford and Bedford 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%	8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below NH	36 minHighest 34% above NH
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%	15.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#73 of 120 in NH
School district	Bedford School District	Strafford School District
High school in town	Bedford High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5	—
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.