What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin has the most affordable homes ($262k 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	Franklin	Bow
People
Population	8,799Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.7±2Highest about the NH average	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
	Franklin and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	21.3%±3.9Highest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Franklin and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,648±$4kLowest 28% below NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,200±$22kLowest 35% below NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$68Lowest 26% below NH	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,886Lowest 27% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±11.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bow and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 20 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	8.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#112 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Franklin School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Franklin High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.