What stands out worked out from the figures below

Raymond has the most affordable homes ($370k median).

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	Raymond	Bow
People
Population	10,900Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.4±3.8Highest about the NH average	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
	Raymond and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bow and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±3.3Highest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Raymond and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,597±$10kLowest 6% above NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$370,400±$17kLowest 8% below NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,376±$196Lowest 8% below NH	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH
	Bow and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,146Lowest 8% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±11.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bow and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 4 yrs newer than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	9.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#96 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Raymond School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Raymond High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	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.