What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the most affordable homes ($437k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Needham
People
Population	33,364Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Needham 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.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kLowest 31% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Lowest 164% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Dover 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%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 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%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Needham
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.9Lowest
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.