What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wakefield has the most expensive homes ($724k 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	Wakefield
People
Population	33,364Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield 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%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield 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%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Wakefield 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.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kLowest 31% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.	$7,779Lowest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dover and Wakefield 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%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Dover School District	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.7Lowest
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.