What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thompson has the most homeowners (84.3%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Dover	Thompson
People
Population	33,364Highest	9,337Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,829±$7kHighest 17% above U.S.	$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.
	Dover and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson 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%	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dover and Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Dover School District	Thompson School District
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	7.9Lowest
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.