What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k median).

Bow has the highest household income ($173k).

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	Rochester	Bow
People
Population	33,144Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43±1.8Highest about the NH average	41.5±2Lowest 4% below NH
	Rochester and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19.6%±1.9Highest NH: 20.1%	17.6%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Rochester and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	60.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%	5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bow and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH	$172,857±$16kHighest 75% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH	$506,500±$34kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH	$1,539±$178Highest 3% above NH
	Bow and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH	$9,584Highest 44% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±7Highest NH: 48.2%	39%±13.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Rochester and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the NH average	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.7%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#98 of 120 in NH	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Rochester School District	Bow School District
High school in town	Spaulding High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.2Highest	12.8Lowest
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.