What stands out worked out from the figures below

Litchfield has the most affordable homes ($485k 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	Litchfield	Bedford
People
Population	8,499Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.1±1.7Lowest about the NH average	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.6Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$162,036±$11kLowest 64% above NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$485,000±$18kLowest 20% above NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,138±$406Highest 43% above NH	$2,099±$274Lowest 41% above NH
	Litchfield and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,273Lowest 24% above NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	81.5%±38.3Highest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Litchfield and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Lowest 8 yrs newer than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above NH	25 minLowest 5% below NH
Work from home	21%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bedford and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#53 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Litchfield School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Campbell High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	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.