What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Dover has the most people working from home (18.6%).

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	Ellsworth	Dover
People
Population	8,657Lowest	33,364Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±2.4Highest 11% above U.S.	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ellsworth and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,375±$18kLowest 4% below U.S.	$94,829±$7kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Dover and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S.	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ellsworth and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 133 in ME	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	Ellsworth Public Schools	Dover School District
High school in town	Ellsworth High School	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	12.7
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.