What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the most affordable homes ($437k median).

Canton has the most expensive homes ($711k 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	Canton
People
Population	33,364Highest	24,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	42.6±2.3Highest 10% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Canton 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%	67.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Canton 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.	$143,381±$9kHighest 78% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kLowest 31% above U.S.	$710,600±$27kHighest 114% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$2,315±$178Highest 64% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$6,560Lowest 110% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.4%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Canton and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#81 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Canton High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	13.1Highest
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.