What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the most renters (47.3% rent).

Bedford has the highest household income ($167k).

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	Dover	Bedford
People
Population	33,364Highest	23,746Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bedford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Dover and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,829±$7kLowest 4% below NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kLowest 8% above NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 8% above NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Lowest 24% above NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Dover School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Dover Senior 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.