What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($737k 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	Sharon	Bow
People
Population	18,574Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.5±1Highest 9% above U.S.	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Sharon and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sharon and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.4 U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$191,835±$19kHighest 138% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kLowest 114% above U.S.
	Sharon and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$737,100±$33kHighest 122% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kLowest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,310±$345Highest 63% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$9,584Lowest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sharon and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 46% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	31.5%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sharon and Bow 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	#23 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Sharon	Bow School District
High school in town	Sharon High	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.