What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Athens has the most kids (13.9% under 18).

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	Athens
People
Population	1,466Highest	431Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+60% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.5±8.3Highest 24% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Dover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.2%±5.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Athens and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.5%±6.2Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Dover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
	Athens and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,313±$7kLowest 36% below VT	$68,438±$30kHighest 16% below VT
	Athens and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$332,900±$55kHighest 5% above VT	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$670±$49Lowest 46% below VT	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT
	Athens and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,510Lowest 10% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 6% below VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	23.2%±11.1Highest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Dover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	River Valleys Unified School District #73	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.