What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the most affordable homes ($236k 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	Waterville	Bow
People
Population	680Lowest	8,335Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±8.2Highest 26% above U.S.	41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Waterville and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bow and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bow and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bow and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,250±$27kLowest 12% below U.S.	$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,300±$15kLowest 29% below U.S.	$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$93Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,539±$178Highest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,957Lowest 27% above U.S.	$9,584Highest 207% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±27.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterville and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	8.5%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#26 of 120 in NH
School district	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A	Bow School District
High school in town	None in town	Bow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.