Compare towns
Dover vs Chatham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dover has the most people working from home (18.6%).
Chatham has the most homeowners (82.8%).
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 | Dover | Chatham |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 33,364Highest |
430Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +9.2% NH: +4.6% |
— |
| Median age | 36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH |
48.3±8.6Highest 12% above NH |
| Kids under 18 | 16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2% |
21.4%±7.4Highest NH: 18.2% |
| Chatham 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 NH: 20.1% |
26.5%±10Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Chatham 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 NH: 40.6% |
38.4%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6% |
5.8%±3.8Lowest NH: 6% |
| Dover and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $94,829±$7kHighest 4% below NH |
$66,042±$19kLowest 33% below NH |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH |
$362,900±$42kLowest 10% below NH |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,607±$100 8% above NH |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,249Highest 24% above NH |
$3,690Lowest 45% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2% |
33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2% |
| Dover and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 8.3%Highest NH: 7.2% |
8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
82.8%Highest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH |
1979Highest same as NH |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 15% below NH |
36 minHighest 33% above NH |
| Work from home | 18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8% |
7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #64 of 120 in NH | — |
| School district | Dover School District | — |
| High school in town | Dover Senior High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.

