What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).

Bow has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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	Lawrence	Bow
People
Population	88,736Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lawrence and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kLowest 25% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Lawrence and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#278 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Lawrence	Bow School District
High school in town	Lawrence High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.