What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thornton has the most affordable homes ($352k median).

Bedford has the highest household income ($167k).

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	Thornton	Bedford
People
Population	2,799Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH	45±2.2Lowest 4% above NH
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.5%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bedford and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH	$167,418±$12kHighest 69% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH	$612,100±$26kHighest 52% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH	$2,099±$274Highest 41% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH	$9,803Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	59.4%±15.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bedford and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	27%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Bedford 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	#18 of 120 in NH	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Thornton School District	Bedford School District
High school in town	None in town	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.5
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.