Compare towns
Madbury vs Manchester vs Dover
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Madbury has the most kids (29% under 18).
Manchester has the most affordable homes ($366k 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.
| Measure | Madbury | Manchester | Dover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,203Lowest |
115,643Highest |
33,364 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.3% NH: +4.6% |
+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 37.7±2.1 13% below NH |
38±1Highest 12% below NH |
36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH |
| Manchester and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 29%±5.9Highest NH: 18.2% |
18%±1 NH: 18.2% |
16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Age 65+ | 14.3%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1% |
15.5%±0.8 NH: 20.1% |
16.8%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Dover and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 52.6%Highest NH: 40.6% |
34%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
52% NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.8Lowest NH: 6% |
6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6% |
6.2%±1.2 NH: 6% |
| Manchester and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $148,365±$30kHighest 50% above NH |
$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH |
$94,829±$7k 4% below NH |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $476,900±$31kHighest 18% above NH |
$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH |
$436,700±$20k 8% above NH |
| Madbury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,574±$759 6% above NH |
$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH |
$1,607±$100Highest 8% above NH |
| Dover and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH |
$5,922Lowest 11% below NH |
$8,249 24% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 16.7%±15.2Lowest NH: 48.2% |
50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2% |
48.6%±6.3 NH: 48.2% |
| Manchester and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.9%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
11.2%Highest NH: 7.2% |
8.3% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
52.7% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH |
1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH |
1976 3 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minHighest 5% below NH |
24 min 10% below NH |
23 minLowest 15% below NH |
| Work from home | 14%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8% |
14.1%±1.3 NH: 16.8% |
18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #115 of 120 in NH | #64 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Oyster River Coop School District | Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District | Dover School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Manchester Memorial High School | Dover Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.3Highest |
12.7Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 6 photos → | None yet |
NH 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.