What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

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	Dover	Arlington
People
Population	33,364Highest	2,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	37.6±4Highest 3% below U.S.
	Arlington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Arlington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Arlington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,829±$7kLowest 17% above U.S.	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.
	Arlington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$4,549Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#50 of 70 in VT
School district	Dover School District	Arlington School District
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Arlington Memorial
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.6Lowest
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.