What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Barre
People
Population	8,335Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Bow 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%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre 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%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Barre 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.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bow and Barre 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%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Bow School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Bow High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	10.7Lowest
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.