What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 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	Laconia
People
Population	8,335Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH
	Laconia 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%	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia 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%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Bow and Laconia 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	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 44% above NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia 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%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Bow School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	Bow High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	10.0Lowest
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.