What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Methuen has the most homeowners (72.3%).

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	Methuen
People
Population	33,364Lowest	53,475Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.9±1.7Highest about the U.S. average
	Methuen and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Methuen 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 U.S.: 35.7%	31%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Methuen 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.	$113,310±$7kHighest 40% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kLowest 31% above U.S.	$499,700±$17kHighest 50% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$1,749±$91Highest 24% above U.S.
	Methuen and Dover 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.	$5,061Lowest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.4%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dover and Methuen 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%	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	72.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#236 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Methuen
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Methuen High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	13.1Highest
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.