What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the most affordable homes ($471k median).

Bedford has the most expensive homes ($899k 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	Douglas	Bedford
People
Population	9,207Lowest	14,727Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA	44.3±1.6Highest 11% above MA
	Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	69.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kLowest 46% above MA	$172,400±$23kHighest 66% above MA
	Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Lowest 6% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	42%±9.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Bedford and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	5.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#7 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Bedford
High school in town	Douglas High School	Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	11.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.