What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k median).

Bedford has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Rochester	Bedford
People
Population	33,144Highest	23,746Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43±1.8Lowest about the NH average	45±2.2Highest 4% above NH
	Bedford and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19.6%±1.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bedford and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Bedford and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±7Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Rochester 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	66%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	25 minLowest 5% below NH
Work from home	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#98 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Rochester School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Spaulding High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.2Lowest	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.