What stands out worked out from the figures below

Framingham has the most renters (45.2% rent).

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

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	Framingham	Bow
People
Population	72,399Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±1Lowest 4% below U.S.	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Framingham and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,419±$6kLowest 33% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$627,300±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kLowest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,033±$57Highest 44% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Lowest 121% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Framingham and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	19.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bow and Framingham 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	#229 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical	Bow School District
High school in town	Framingham High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	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.