Compare towns
Hartford vs Bow vs Waterbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hartford has the most affordable homes ($305k median).
Bow has the highest household income ($173k).
Waterbury has the most people working from home (28.3%).
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.
| Measure | Hartford | Bow | Waterbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,736Highest |
8,335 |
5,405Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.4% U.S.: +7.4% |
+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.2±3.9Highest 11% above U.S. |
41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S. |
43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 18%±3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
21.9%±4.9 U.S.: 22% |
| Bow and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.8%±4.4 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Hartford and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 47.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
54.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±1.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bow and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $78,125±$7kLowest 3% below U.S. |
$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S. |
$103,917±$23k 29% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $304,500±$26kLowest 8% below U.S. |
$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$447,200±$40k 34% above U.S. |
| Bow and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,218±$118 14% below U.S. |
$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S. |
$1,027±$535Lowest 27% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,773Lowest 85% above U.S. |
$9,584Highest 207% above U.S. |
$6,435 106% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.6%±12.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
46.8%±21.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Waterbury and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
70.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S. |
1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
1983 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
27 min about the U.S. average |
30 minHighest 14% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 13.9%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.7%±4.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
28.3%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Waterbury and Bow 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 | #34 of 70 in VT | #26 of 120 in NH | #20 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Hartford School District | Bow School District | Harwood Unified Union School District #60 |
| High school in town | Hartford High School | Bow High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.6Lowest |
12.8Highest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.