What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the most expensive homes ($333k median).

Norton has the most affordable homes ($200k 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	Norton
People
Population	1,466Highest	108Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+60% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.5±8.3Lowest 24% above VT	53.8±6.7Highest 25% above VT
	Norton and Dover 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%±21.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Norton and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.5%±6.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Dover 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%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton 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	$65,625±$23kHighest 19% below VT
	Norton 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	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$670±$49 46% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,510Highest 10% below VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±17.2 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 6% below VT	39 minHighest 68% above VT
Work from home	23.2%±11.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Dover 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 History	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.