What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has the most affordable homes ($428k median).

Dover has the most expensive homes ($1340k median).

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	Strafford	Dover
People
Population	4,306Lowest	5,930Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6% U.S.: +7.4%	+6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.3±2.1Highest 19% above U.S.	44.9±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Strafford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dover and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Strafford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	84.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,105±$22kLowest 51% above U.S.	$250,001Highest 210% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,900±$29kLowest 29% above U.S.	$1,340,300±$117kHighest 303% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Lowest 16% above U.S.	$2,917±$2kHighest 106% above U.S.
	Dover and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Lowest 95% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	20%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strafford and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	97.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.	35 minLowest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	15.9%±5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	34.2%±6.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 120 in NH	#1 of 282 in MA
School district	Strafford School District	Dover · Dover-Sherborn
High school in town	None in town	Dover-Sherborn Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.8
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.