What stands out worked out from the figures below

Claremont has the most affordable homes ($205k median).

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

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	Claremont	Bedford
People
Population	13,078Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±3.5Lowest about the NH average	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH
	Bedford and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±3.1Highest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Claremont and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,096±$8kLowest 40% below NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$204,600±$17kLowest 49% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,146±$83Lowest 23% below NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,774Lowest 13% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.6%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Claremont and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 22 yrs older than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	8.6%±2.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#103 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Claremont School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Stevens High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	13.5Highest
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.