What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Worcester has the most renters (57.2% 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	Worcester
People
Population	8,335Lowest	207,055Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+14.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.	33.9±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.3%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.	$70,102±$2kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.	$374,400±$7kLowest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,487±$38Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Bow and Worcester 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.	$4,733Lowest 52% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.2%±2.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Worcester 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%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 120 in NH	#266 of 282 in MA
School district	Bow School District	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester
High school in town	Bow High School	South High Community
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.6Highest
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.