What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peabody has the most expensive homes ($596k 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	Peabody
People
Population	33,364Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	45.3±2.4Highest 16% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Peabody 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%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Peabody 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.	$96,657±$4kHighest 20% above U.S.
	Peabody 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±$20kLowest 31% above U.S.	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$5,065Lowest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Peabody 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%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	65.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Peabody
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.3Lowest
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.