What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the most affordable homes ($433k 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	Townsend	Bow
People
Population	9,100Highest	8,335Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	41.5±2Highest 7% above U.S.
	Bow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kLowest 51% above U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kLowest 30% above U.S.	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.
	Bow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Bow School District
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.