What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has the most affordable homes ($336k 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	Standish	Bow
People
Population	10,662Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.
	Bow and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.
	Bow and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest same as U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 133 in ME	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Bow School District
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	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.