What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Deerfield has the most homeowners (78.4%).

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	Deerfield
People
Population	33,364Highest	5,158Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	51.8±3.6Highest 33% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%	13.2%±3.7Lowest 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+	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.9%±3.4Highest 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	$94,829±$7kLowest 17% above U.S.	$106,136±$14kHighest 31% 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	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.	$414,900±$37kLowest 25% 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	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,334±$318Lowest 6% below 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	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$5,824Lowest 87% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.5%±6.2Lowest 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	#64 of 120 in NH	#156 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Deerfield · Frontier
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Frontier Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.1Lowest
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.