What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bow has the most kids (25% under 18).

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k 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	Thompson
People
Population	8,335Lowest	9,337Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thompson 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%	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Thompson 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.	$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson 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%	5.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Bow School District	Thompson School District
High school in town	Bow High School	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	7.9Lowest
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.