Compare towns
Dover vs Meredith vs Sunapee
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 grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
Sunapee has the most affordable homes ($393k 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.
| Measure | Dover | Meredith | Sunapee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 33,364Highest |
6,758 |
3,416Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +9.2%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+6.7% NH: +4.6% |
-0.7%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH |
55.5±3.7 28% above NH |
56.7±1.4Highest 31% above NH |
| Sunapee and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.9%±1.8Highest NH: 18.2% |
12.6%±3.3 NH: 18.2% |
9.9%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Dover and Meredith 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% |
34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1% |
33.3%±7.1 NH: 20.1% |
| Meredith and Sunapee 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% |
45.9%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
50.6% NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest NH: 6% |
4.5%±3.5 NH: 6% |
| Dover and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $94,829±$7k 4% below NH |
$87,019±$19kLowest 12% below NH |
$101,393±$20kHighest about the NH average |
| Sunapee 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±$20k 8% above NH |
$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH |
$393,000±$51kLowest about the NH average |
| Meredith and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,607±$100 8% above NH |
$1,149±$304Lowest 23% below NH |
$1,713±$451Highest 15% above NH |
| Sunapee and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,249Highest 24% above NH |
$5,006 25% below NH |
$4,400Lowest 34% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2% |
48.5%±9.2 NH: 48.2% |
34.6%±10.5Lowest NH: 48.2% |
| Dover and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.3% NH: 7.2% |
7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
12.4%Highest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
75.8% NH: 72.8% |
75.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Highest 3 yrs older than NH |
1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 15% below NH |
26 min about the NH average |
33 minHighest 23% above NH |
| Work from home | 18.6%±2.5 NH: 16.8% |
23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
9.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8% |
| Meredith and Dover 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 | #62 of 120 in NH | #14 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Dover School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District | Sunapee School District |
| High school in town | Dover Senior High School | Inter-Lakes High School | Sunapee Sr. High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.7Highest |
11.1Lowest |
11.9 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.