What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Ipswich has the most affordable homes ($392k 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	New Ipswich	Bow
People
Population	5,310Lowest	8,335Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	36.9±2.4Lowest 15% below NH	41.5±2Highest 4% below NH
Kids under 18	29.9%±5.7Highest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	New Ipswich and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.3%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bow and New Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and New Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,507±$9kLowest 12% above NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,400±$31kLowest about the NH average	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$882±$469Lowest 41% below NH	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,647Lowest 15% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.7%±41.5Highest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	New Ipswich and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	12%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#82 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Mascenic Regional School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Mascenic Regional High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	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.