What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Randolph	Bedford
People
Population	4,843Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.4±7.4Lowest 4% above U.S.	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.
	Bedford and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Randolph and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	63%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,758±$6kLowest 5% below U.S.	$167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$278,700±$38kLowest 16% below U.S.	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,172±$173Lowest 17% below U.S.	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,698Lowest 51% above U.S.	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±17.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#55 of 70 in VT	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Bedford School District
High school in town	Randolph Union High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.