What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swanzey has the most affordable homes ($259k 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	Swanzey	Dover
People
Population	7,398Lowest	33,364Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH	36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH
Kids under 18	18%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2%	16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Swanzey and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	16.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	52%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%	6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6%
	Dover and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,595±$11kLowest 18% below NH	$94,829±$7kHighest 4% below NH
	Dover and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH	$436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,508±$303Lowest about the NH average	$1,607±$100Highest 8% above NH
	Dover and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,558Lowest 17% below NH	$8,249Highest 24% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%	48.6%±6.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#102 of 120 in NH	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Dover School District
High school in town	Monadnock Regional High School	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	12.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.