What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k median).

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

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	Berlin	Bedford
People
Population	9,383Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.6±2.8Lowest 3% above NH	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH
	Bedford and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.1%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bedford and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,180±$5kLowest 54% below NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,000±$15kLowest 67% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$815±$141Lowest 45% below NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,437Lowest 48% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±12Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 41 yrs older than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	3.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Berlin School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Berlin Senior High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.2Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.