What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Athol has the most affordable homes ($268k 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	Bow	Athol
People
Population	8,335Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Bow and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Athol and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.	$69,316±$5kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	Bow High School	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.6Lowest
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.