What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($400k median).

Bow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

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	Auburn	Bow
People
Population	16,970Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Highest 15% above U.S.	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Auburn and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Auburn and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,711±$10kLowest 45% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kLowest 20% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.
	Bow and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 70% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Auburn and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Auburn	Bow School District
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	12.8Highest
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.