What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Montpelier has the most people working from home (26.9%).

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	Montpelier
People
Population	33,364Highest	8,014Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	42.3±2.4Highest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.9%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Montpelier 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%	24.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Montpelier 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.	$81,030±$6kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.	$375,100±$21kLowest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,302±$113Lowest 8% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$6,936Lowest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.4%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dover and Montpelier 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%	6.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	53.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	18 minLowest 31% below U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	26.9%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	Dover School District	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.