What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bangor has the most affordable homes ($220k median).

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	Bangor
People
Population	33,364Highest	31,938Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	41±1.3Highest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%	16.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dover and Bangor 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%	19.9%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bangor 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,829±$7kHighest 17% above U.S.	$59,942±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.	$219,600±$10kLowest 34% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,055±$43Lowest 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$3,076Lowest about the U.S. average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.5%±6.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bangor and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	47.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	17 minLowest 37% below U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#37 of 133 in ME
School district	Dover School District	Bangor Public Schools · Bangor-Region 4
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Bangor High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	13.3Highest
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.