What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Rochester
People
Population	33,364Highest	33,144Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2% NH: +4.6%	+9.2% NH: +4.6%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH	43±1.8Highest about the NH average
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.2%±1.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Rochester 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 NH: 20.1%	19.6%±1.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Rochester 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 NH: 40.6%	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%
	Dover and Rochester 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 4% below NH	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 8% above NH	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 24% above NH	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Dover and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3% NH: 7.2%	8.3% NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	66%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	26 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Dover School District	Rochester School District
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	13.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.