What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gilford has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Gilford
People
Population	8,335Highest	7,830Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH	48.2±3.9Highest 11% above NH
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bow and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	21.8%±3.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Gilford 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 NH: 40.6%	45.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	2.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH	$116,635±$11kLowest 18% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH	$456,500±$56kLowest 13% above NH
	Bow and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH	$1,150±$747Lowest 23% below NH
	Bow and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 44% above NH	$4,868Lowest 27% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	62.2%±8.5Highest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	6.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1983Lowest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	22 minLowest 18% below NH
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%	16.9%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bow and Gilford 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	#45 of 120 in NH
School district	Bow School District	Gilford School District
High school in town	Bow High School	Gilford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.