What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Chicopee has the most affordable homes ($275k 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	Chicopee
People
Population	8,335Lowest	55,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	41.9±1.4Highest 8% above U.S.
	Chicopee 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%	19.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chicopee 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%	22.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Chicopee 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.	$62,615±$6kLowest 22% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$274,500±$8kLowest 17% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,157±$50Lowest 18% 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%	52%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chicopee 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%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	55.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#247 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Chicopee
High school in town	Bow High School	Chicopee Comprehensive High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.2Lowest
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.