What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k 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	Bath
People
Population	8,335Lowest	8,815Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Bath 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%	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Bath 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.	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath 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%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bow and Bath 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	#26 of 120 in NH	#31 of 133 in ME
School district	Bow School District	RSU 01 - LKRSU
High school in town	Bow High School	Morse High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.8Highest
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.