Compare towns
Cornish vs Dover vs Salisbury vs Croydon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | Dover | Salisbury | Croydon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,816 |
33,364Highest |
1,609 |
798Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+2.9% NH: +4.6% |
+4.8% NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 25% above NH |
36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH |
51.5±4.5 19% above NH |
43±9.1 about the NH average |
| Cornish and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2% |
16.9%±1.8 NH: 18.2% |
20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2% |
19%±6.3 NH: 18.2% |
| Salisbury and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1 NH: 20.1% |
16.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1% |
24.9%±4 NH: 20.1% |
27.4%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Croydon and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6% NH: 40.6% |
52%Highest NH: 40.6% |
37.3% NH: 40.6% |
21.4%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6% |
2%±1.1 NH: 6% |
4%±3.3 NH: 6% |
| Dover and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $91,821±$2kLowest 7% below NH |
$94,829±$7k 4% below NH |
$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH |
$98,333±$21k about the NH average |
| Salisbury and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH |
$436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH |
$363,400±$47k 10% below NH |
$317,300±$33k 21% below NH |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227 18% below NH |
$1,607±$100 8% above NH |
$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH |
$991±$336Lowest 34% below NH |
| Salisbury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796 13% below NH |
$8,249Highest 24% above NH |
$5,859 12% below NH |
$3,806Lowest 43% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1 NH: 48.2% |
48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2% |
0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2% |
7.1%±75.3 NH: 48.2% |
| Dover and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
8.3%Highest NH: 7.2% |
7.1% NH: 7.2% |
6.4% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1% NH: 72.8% |
52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
96.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
86.6% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 1 yr newer than NH |
1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH |
1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH |
1981 2 yrs newer than NH |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 9% below NH |
23 minLowest 15% below NH |
32 minHighest 20% above NH |
26 min about the NH average |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1 NH: 16.8% |
18.6%±2.5 NH: 16.8% |
23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8% |
5.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8% |
| Salisbury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #64 of 120 in NH | — | — |
| School district | Cornish School District | Dover School District | Merrimack Valley School District | Croydon School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Dover Senior High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet | None yet |
NH 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.