What stands out worked out from the figures below

Conway has the most affordable homes ($314k 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	Conway	Bedford
People
Population	10,141Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55±4.1Highest 27% above NH	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH
Kids under 18	12.4%±2.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	35.1%±5.1Highest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Conway and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,385±$8kLowest 35% below NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$314,000±$43kLowest 22% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,095±$141Lowest 27% below NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,087Lowest 39% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.3%±13.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 4 yrs newer than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 23% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	13.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#76 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Conway School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Kennett High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	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.