Compare towns
Bow vs Jay vs Sandgate
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bow has the highest household income ($173k).
Jay has the most homeowners (97%).
Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).
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.
| Measure | Bow | Jay | Sandgate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,335Highest |
471 |
435Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S. |
52.1±10.5 34% above U.S. |
55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S. |
| Sandgate and Jay 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% |
14.2%±7.3 U.S.: 22% |
13.1%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Bow and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.6%±2.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
15.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
26%±11.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Sandgate 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
45.1% U.S.: 35.7% |
37.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
1.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.3%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bow and Sandgate 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. |
$74,792±$25k 7% below U.S. |
$69,167±$19kLowest 14% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$234,200±$45k 30% below U.S. |
$193,800±$31kLowest 42% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,539±$178 9% above U.S. |
— | — |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $9,584Highest 207% above U.S. |
$3,588 15% above U.S. |
$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 39%±13.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
40%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Jay 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% |
8.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
97%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
94.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1985 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
2001Highest 21 yrs newer than U.S. |
1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minLowest about the U.S. average |
40 minHighest 50% above U.S. |
27 min 3% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.7%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
27.3%±13.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Sandgate and Jay 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 | — | — |
| School district | Bow School District | Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School District | — |
| High school in town | Bow High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.