Compare towns
Dover vs Wakefield vs Newington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dover has the most affordable homes ($437k median).
Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).
Newington has the most homeowners (86.9%).
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.
| Measure | Dover | Wakefield | Newington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 33,364Highest |
27,793 |
939Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S. |
42.4±1.7 9% above U.S. |
48.7±10.1Highest 25% above U.S. |
| Newington and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.9%±1.8 U.S.: 22% |
20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
15.7%±4.9Lowest 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%±1.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
28%±11Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Newington and Wakefield 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% U.S.: 35.7% |
62.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±0.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.8Lowest 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±$14k 66% above U.S. |
$145,833±$46kHighest 81% above U.S. |
| Newington and Wakefield 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. |
$723,500±$24k 117% above U.S. |
$861,600±$46kHighest 159% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S. |
$1,958±$102 39% above U.S. |
$2,292±$795Highest 62% above U.S. |
| Newington and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,249Highest 164% above U.S. |
$7,779 149% above U.S. |
$6,081Lowest 95% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.6%±6.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
62.9%±44Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Newington 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% |
4.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
70.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S. |
1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 14% below U.S. |
33 minHighest 26% above U.S. |
23 min 12% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 18.6%±2.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
8%±2.4Lowest 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 | Newington School District |
| High school in town | Dover Senior High School | Northeast Metro Regional Vocational | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.7Highest |
10.7Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 12 photos → |
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.