What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlebury has the highest household income ($86k).

Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+60%).

Middlebury is a college town. 40.9% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury	Dover
People
Population	7,220Highest	1,466Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+60%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	23.7±1.3Lowest 45% below VT	53.5±8.3Highest 24% above VT
Kids under 18	8.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	10.2%±5.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Dover and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.5%±6.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	48.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	40.9%±2.3Highest VT: 7%	2.5%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,250±$18kHighest 6% above VT	$52,313±$7kLowest 36% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$417,400±$31kHighest 32% above VT	$332,900±$55kLowest 5% above VT
	Middlebury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,201±$120Highest about the VT average	$670±$49Lowest 46% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,795Highest 35% above VT	$4,510Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.6%±15.8Highest VT: 48.4%	38.1%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Middlebury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	7.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%	81.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 1 yr newer than VT	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	22 minHighest 6% below VT
Work from home	19.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	23.2%±11.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	Dover and Middlebury 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	#17 of 70 in VT	—
School district	—	River Valleys Unified School District #73
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	6 photos →	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.