What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has the most homeowners (91.2%).

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	Standish	Dover
People
Population	10,662Lowest	33,364Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Highest 4% above U.S.	36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Standish and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dover and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dover and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kHighest 30% above U.S.	$94,829±$7kLowest 17% above U.S.
	Standish and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average	$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$8,249Highest 164% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dover and Standish 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	#18 of 133 in ME	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Dover School District
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	12.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.