What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the most people working from home (18.6%).

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Ellsworth
People
Population	33,364Highest	8,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	43±2.4Highest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ellsworth 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%	22.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Ellsworth 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 17% above U.S.	$77,375±$18kLowest 4% below U.S.
	Dover and Ellsworth 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.	$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ellsworth 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%	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	66.7%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.	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#63 of 133 in ME
School district	Dover School District	Ellsworth Public Schools
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Ellsworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	12.7
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.