What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Waltham has the highest household income ($98k).

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	Waltham
People
Population	1,466Highest	452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+60% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.5±8.3Lowest 24% above VT	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT
	Waltham 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%	12.8%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waltham 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%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham 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	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$332,900±$55kHighest 5% above VT	$329,700±$51kLowest 4% above VT
	Dover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$670±$49Lowest 46% below VT	$1,096±$113Highest 11% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,510Lowest 10% below VT	$5,714Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±17.2Highest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Dover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 6% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	23.2%±11.1Highest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Dover and Waltham 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.