Compare towns
Dover vs Plainfield vs Waterbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
Plainfield has the most homeowners (87.3%).
Waterbury has the most people working from home (28.3%).
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.
| Measure | Dover | Plainfield | Waterbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 33,364Highest |
2,522Lowest |
5,405 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.3% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S. |
38.9±6.5 about the U.S. average |
43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S. |
| Waterbury and Plainfield 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% |
23.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
21.9%±4.9 U.S.: 22% |
| Plainfield and Waterbury 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% |
19.8%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 52% U.S.: 35.7% |
46.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
54.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.3 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Dover and Plainfield 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. |
$122,656±$13kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$103,917±$23k 29% above U.S. |
| Plainfield and Waterbury 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. |
$442,400±$47k 33% above U.S. |
$447,200±$40kHighest 34% above U.S. |
| Waterbury and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,607±$100 14% above U.S. |
$1,674±$181Highest 18% above U.S. |
$1,027±$535Lowest 27% below U.S. |
| Plainfield 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. |
$7,904 153% above U.S. |
$6,435Lowest 106% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
31.8%±23.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
46.8%±21.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Dover and Waterbury 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% |
5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
70.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1977 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 min 14% below U.S. |
22 minLowest 17% below U.S. |
30 minHighest 14% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 18.6%±2.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
18.1%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
28.3%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #64 of 120 in NH | #19 of 120 in NH | #20 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Dover School District | Plainfield School District | Harwood Unified Union School District #60 |
| High school in town | Dover Senior High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.