What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has the most affordable homes ($474k median).

Bedford has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Dracut	Bedford
People
Population	32,574Highest	14,727Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 4% above MA	44.3±1.6Highest 11% above MA
	Bedford and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Dracut and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Bedford and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	69.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kLowest 10% above MA	$172,400±$23kHighest 66% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kLowest 16% below MA	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Lowest 4% above MA	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 10% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Dracut and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest MA: 10%	5.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	#7 of 282 in MA
School district	Dracut	Bedford
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	11.2Lowest
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.