What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gilford has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Gilford	Bow
People
Population	7,830Lowest	8,335Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.2±3.9Highest 11% above NH	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bow and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±3.2Highest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Gilford and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,635±$11kLowest 18% above NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,500±$56kLowest 13% above NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
	Bow and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$747Lowest 23% below NH	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH
	Bow and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,868Lowest 27% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.2%±8.5Highest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 4 yrs newer than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	16.9%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bow and Gilford 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	#45 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Gilford School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Gilford High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Lowest	12.8Highest
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.