What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stow has the most people working from home (36.6%).

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	Stow
People
Population	33,364Highest	7,165Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	44.1±4.4Highest 13% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stow 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%	19.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stow 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%	75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Stow 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.	$185,809±$22kHighest 130% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kLowest 31% above U.S.	$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S.
	Stow and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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%	59.7%±44.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow 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%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#44 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Nashoba
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	—
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.