What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ossipee has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Ossipee	Bow
People
Population	4,521Lowest	8,335Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±4.6Highest 15% above NH	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bow and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,521±$22kLowest 9% below NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kLowest 19% below NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Highest 7% above NH	$1,539±$178Lowest 3% above NH
	Ossipee and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 34% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Highest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as 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	5.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Bow School District
High school in town	None in town	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.