What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deerfield has the most homeowners (78.4%).

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	Deerfield	Dover
People
Population	5,158Lowest	33,364Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.8±3.6Highest 33% above U.S.	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dover and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.9%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Deerfield and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,136±$14kHighest 31% above U.S.	$94,829±$7kLowest 17% above U.S.
	Deerfield and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$414,900±$37kLowest 25% above U.S.	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.
	Dover and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,334±$318Lowest 6% below U.S.	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.
	Dover and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,824Lowest 87% above U.S.	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	17.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dover and Deerfield 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	#156 of 282 in MA	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	Deerfield · Frontier	Dover School District
High school in town	Frontier Regional	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	12.7Highest
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.