Compare towns
Fairlee vs Dover vs Orford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Fairlee has the most renters (42.5% rent).
Dover has the most expensive homes ($333k median).
Orford has the highest household income ($93k).
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.
| Measure | Fairlee | Dover | Orford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 54Lowest |
1,466Highest |
1,295 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +60%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
0%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 63.5±7.6Highest 63% above U.S. |
53.5±8.3 38% above U.S. |
48.9±3.3Lowest 26% above U.S. |
| Fairlee and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 0%±52.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
10.2%±5.7 U.S.: 22% |
12.3%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Orford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 37%±54.9Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
29.5%±6.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
25.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Fairlee and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 11.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
48.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
44% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0%±26.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.5%±2.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Orford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $21,071±$13kLowest 74% below U.S. |
$52,313±$7k 35% below U.S. |
$92,571±$24kHighest 15% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $277,500±$28k 17% below U.S. |
$332,900±$55kHighest about the U.S. average |
$271,900±$25kLowest 18% below U.S. |
| Dover and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,057±$620 25% below U.S. |
$670±$49Lowest 53% below U.S. |
$1,263±$686Highest 11% below U.S. |
| Orford and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,750Lowest 20% above U.S. |
$4,510 45% above U.S. |
$5,836Highest 87% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 100%±55.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
38.1%±17.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
37.8%±10.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Fairlee and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 50%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 57.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
81.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S. |
1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S. |
1971 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | — | 22 minLowest 17% below U.S. |
26 minHighest 3% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 23.5%±30.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
23.2%±11.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
10.8%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Fairlee 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 | Rivendell Interstate School District |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Rivendell Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 9.5 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.