What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($337k 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	Bristol
People
Population	8,335Highest	3,778Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	47.9±4.8Highest 23% above U.S.
	Bristol 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%	12.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bristol 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%	41.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Bristol 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.	$74,620±$8kLowest 8% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$337,300±$46kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,275±$181Lowest 10% below U.S.
	Bow and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$5,978Lowest 92% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.9%±14.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bristol 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%	10.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bow and Bristol 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 70 in VT
School district	Bow School District	Mt. Abraham Unified School District #61
High school in town	Bow High School	Mt. Abraham Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.9Lowest
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.