What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($363k 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	Sutton	Bedford
People
Population	2,239Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 11% above NH	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH
	Sutton and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bedford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Sutton and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Sutton and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kLowest 32% above NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
	Bedford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kLowest 10% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Lowest 11% above NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
	Bedford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Lowest 15% above NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above NH	25 minLowest 5% below NH
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	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.