What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bow has the most people working from home (22.7%).

Fall River has the most renters (64.7% rent).

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	Fall River
People
Population	8,335Lowest	94,082Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.	39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average
	Bow and Fall River 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%	19.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Fall River 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%	16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Fall River 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.	$56,673±$3kLowest 30% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$395,500±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,155±$27Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$3,953Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fall River 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%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#262 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Bow High School	B M C Durfee High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.3Lowest
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.