What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chicopee has the most affordable homes ($275k median).

Bow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

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	Chicopee	Bow
People
Population	55,295Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.9±1.4Highest 8% above U.S.	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Chicopee and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.5%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chicopee and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,615±$6kLowest 22% below U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,500±$8kLowest 17% below U.S.	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,157±$50Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chicopee and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#247 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Chicopee	Bow School District
High school in town	Chicopee Comprehensive High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	12.8Highest
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.