What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

Walpole has the most homeowners (69.9%).

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.

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

Measure	Dover	Walpole
People
Population	33,364Highest	3,690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH	46.5±10.4Highest 7% above NH
	Walpole and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.2%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Walpole 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 NH: 20.1%	25.5%±5.4Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Highest NH: 40.6%	32.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6%	4%±2.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Dover and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,829±$7kHighest 4% below NH	$82,617±$16kLowest 17% below NH
	Dover and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH	$319,800±$48kLowest 21% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Highest 8% above NH	$1,165±$150Lowest 22% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 24% above NH	$6,078Lowest 9% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	51.6%±21.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Walpole and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	69.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 3 yrs older than NH	1967Lowest 12 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	23 minHighest 13% below NH
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8%	7.2%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#27 of 120 in NH
School district	Dover School District	Fall Mountain Regional School District
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.