Compare towns
Roxbury vs Dover vs Townsend
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Roxbury has the most affordable homes ($323k median).
Dover has the most people working from home (18.6%).
Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).
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 | Roxbury | Dover | Townsend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 299Lowest |
33,364Highest |
9,100 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.2±17.7Highest 11% above U.S. |
36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S. |
40.9±3.3 5% above U.S. |
| Roxbury and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.7%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
16.9%±1.8 U.S.: 22% |
21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Townsend and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.4%±10.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.1%±2.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Roxbury and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
52%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
35.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.2%±1.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Roxbury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,226±$14kLowest 14% below U.S. |
$94,829±$7k 17% above U.S. |
$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S. |
| Townsend and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $323,100±$219kLowest about the U.S. average |
$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S. |
$433,200±$22k 30% above U.S. |
| Dover and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S. |
$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S. |
| Dover and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,787Lowest 86% above U.S. |
$8,249Highest 164% above U.S. |
$6,031 93% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
48.6%±6.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Townsend and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
82% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 minLowest 21% below U.S. |
23 min 14% below U.S. |
37 minHighest 41% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 0.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #64 of 120 in NH | #136 of 282 in MA |
| School district | — | Dover School District | North Middlesex |
| High school in town | — | Dover Senior High School | North Middlesex Regional |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7Lowest |
13.1Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.