What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milton has the most affordable homes ($318k 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	Milton	Bow
People
Population	4,538Lowest	8,335Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.7±2.4Highest 6% above NH	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
	Milton and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bow and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bow and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,493±$27kLowest 5% below NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kLowest 21% below NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,587±$318Highest 6% above NH	$1,539±$178Lowest 3% above NH
	Milton and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,663Lowest 15% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.7%±24.9Highest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Milton and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	18.9%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bow and Milton 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	#116 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Milton School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Nute High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	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.