What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bow has the highest household income ($173k).

Framingham has the most renters (45.2% 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	Framingham
People
Population	8,335Lowest	72,399Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.	37.5±1Lowest 4% below U.S.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	21.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Framingham 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%	48.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.5%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Framingham and Bow 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.	$107,419±$6kLowest 33% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kLowest 52% above U.S.	$627,300±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.	$2,033±$57Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$6,884Lowest 121% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.4%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Framingham 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%	10.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	54.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bow and Framingham 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	#229 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Bow High School	Framingham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	12.7Lowest
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.