What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Stoughton has the most homeowners (74.1%).

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	Stoughton
People
Population	33,364Highest	29,225Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.5%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stoughton 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%	20.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stoughton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	41.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Stoughton 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.	$104,794±$6kHighest 30% above U.S.
	Stoughton 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.	$523,800±$28kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$2,050±$200Highest 45% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$6,215Lowest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.4%±7.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.4%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dover and Stoughton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#196 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Stoughton
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Stoughton High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.8Lowest
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.