What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

Bow has the most homeowners (87.5%).

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	Boston	Bow
People
Population	666,442Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 21% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kLowest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 43% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Boston and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bow and Boston 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	#258 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Bow School District
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	12.8Lowest
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.