What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the most expensive homes ($856k median).

Bow has the most affordable homes ($507k median).

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	Andover	Bow
People
Population	36,652Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1Highest 10% above U.S.	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Andover and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Andover and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,606±$16kLowest 114% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
	Bow and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kLowest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$9,584Lowest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.7%±7.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Andover and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#68 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical	Bow School District
High school in town	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	12.8
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.