What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Waterbury has the most affordable homes ($447k 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	Waterbury
People
Population	23,746Highest	5,405Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	43.2±3.7Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Bedford and Waterbury 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%	21.9%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Waterbury 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%	19.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bedford and Waterbury 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%	54.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bedford and Waterbury 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.	$103,917±$23kLowest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$447,200±$40kLowest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,027±$535Lowest 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$6,435Lowest 106% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.8%±21.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Waterbury 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%	70.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1983Lowest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28.3%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterbury 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	#20 of 70 in VT
School district	Bedford School District	Harwood Unified Union School District #60
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

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.