What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k 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	Jaffrey
People
Population	8,335Highest	5,448Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH	42.9±3.9Highest about the NH average
	Jaffrey 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 NH: 18.2%	23.1%±5.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bow and Jaffrey 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%	18.5%±3.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Jaffrey 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%	31.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 6%
	Bow and Jaffrey 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 75% above NH	$92,330±$18kLowest 7% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH	$245,500±$27kLowest 39% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH	$962±$202Lowest 35% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 44% above NH	$6,196Lowest 7% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	45.7%±23Highest NH: 48.2%
	Jaffrey 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 NH: 7.2%	3.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	25 minLowest 8% below NH
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%	7.5%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Bow School District	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Bow High School	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	21.3Highest
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.