What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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	Springfield	Dover
People
Population	9,084Lowest	33,364Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Springfield and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below U.S.	$94,829±$7kHighest 17% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kLowest 42% below U.S.	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Lowest 54% above U.S.	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Springfield and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dover and Springfield 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	#64 of 70 in VT	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Dover School District
High school in town	Springfield High School	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.