What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bow has the most people working from home (22.7%).

Lynn has the most renters (51.9% 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	Lynn
People
Population	8,335Lowest	101,709Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.	36.5±1.2Lowest 6% below U.S.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	24.1%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Lynn 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%	13.7%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Lynn 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.	$75,043±$3kLowest 7% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kLowest 52% above U.S.	$510,100±$23kHighest 53% above U.S.
	Lynn and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.	$1,722±$60Highest 22% above U.S.
	Lynn and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$5,384Lowest 73% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60%±4.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.9%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#277 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Lynn
High school in town	Bow High School	Lynn English High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	15.0Highest
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.