What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wareham has the oldest population (median age 52.1).

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	Wareham
People
Population	8,335Lowest	23,302Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	52.1±3.1Highest 34% above U.S.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.	$90,383±$11kLowest 12% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$424,500±$21kLowest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,504±$180Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Bow and Wareham 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.	$4,341Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.4%±23.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wareham 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%	6.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#272 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Wareham
High school in town	Bow High School	Wareham Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	8.6Lowest
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.