What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield	Bow
People
Population	154,749Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.2%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Springfield and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 35% below U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 26% below U.S.	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,695Lowest 18% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#276 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Springfield	Bow School District
High school in town	Springfield Central High	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	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.