What stands out worked out from the figures below

Melrose has the most affordable homes ($823k median).

Dover has the highest household income ($250k).

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	Melrose	Dover
People
Population	29,650Highest	2,308Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.6±1.1Lowest 9% above MA	47.5±4Highest 19% above MA
	Dover and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.9%±4.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dover and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	15.5%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Melrose and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Lowest MA: 47.3%	83.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	9.4%±4.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Dover and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,953±$14kLowest 29% above MA	$250,001Highest 140% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$822,900±$20kLowest 46% above MA	$1,308,300±$149kHighest 133% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,970±$149 12% above MA	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,578Lowest 26% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±8.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	100%±100Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dover and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest MA: 10%	3.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	97.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 19% above MA	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	29.6%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	37.4%±8.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dover and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 282 in MA	#1 of 282 in MA
School district	Melrose	—
High school in town	Melrose High	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.