What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Dalton
People
Population	8,335Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	49.7±5.8Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Dalton 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%	27.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Dalton 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.	$79,438±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$295,700±$26kLowest 11% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$872±$70Lowest 38% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$4,276Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.2%±19Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dalton 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%	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.5%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bow and Dalton 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	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Bow High School	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	10.9Lowest
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.