What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bow has the most expensive homes ($507k median).

Union has the most affordable homes ($163k 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	Union
People
Population	8,335Highest	131Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	41.5±2Highest 4% below NH	23.6±30.9Lowest 45% below NH
	Bow and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	35.9%±42.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Union and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%	0%±31.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Bow and Union 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%	48.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	0%±13Lowest NH: 6%
	Bow and Union 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	$75,117±$19kLowest 24% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH	$162,900±$135kLowest 60% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178 3% above NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,584Highest 44% above NH	$1,258Lowest 81% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2 NH: 48.2%	—
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	100%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1938Lowest 41 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 min about the NH average	—
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%	21.4%±25.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bow and Union 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	—
High school in town	Bow High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.