What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brandon has the most homeowners (84.3%).

Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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	Brandon	Dover
People
Population	4,120Lowest	33,364Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brandon and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brandon and Dover 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%	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below U.S.	$94,829±$7kHighest 17% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kLowest 32% below U.S.	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Lowest 25% below U.S.	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dover and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#69 of 70 in VT	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	Dover School District
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	12.7Highest
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.