Why look at Dover?
- Moderately priced housing. Median home is $341k.
- Stable market. Home values +1.6% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 6.6% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Dover stands
At or near all-time high.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 16.8 price-to-rent ratio, Dover is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Dover (Wikipedia)
Dover is the capital and the second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Delaware, after Wilmington. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of the Philadelphia–Wilmington–Camden, PA–NJ–DE–MD, combined statistical area. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware River coastal plain. It was named by William Penn for Dover in Kent, England. As of 2024, its population was estimated as 40,191.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Kent County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Kent County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Dover
1 tracked · ranked by median home valueRun the numbers for Dover
Delaware context
Schools
Dover is served by 20 public schools enrolling about 8,850 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 13.4:1 — smaller classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Dover listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Dover
3 from local press- Breaking Bread: DoverLOCALSpotlight Delaware1w ago
- Smyrna motorcyclist killed in Memorial Day crash in Dover, police sayLOCALThe News Journal1d ago
- NASCAR Cup Series competes in All-Star Race at Dover Motor SpeedwayLOCALDaytona Beach News-Journal1w ago
- 22-year-old motorcyclist killed in Dover crashWBOC TV2d ago
- International Paper Acquires a Converting Facility from Delmarva Corrugated PackagingPR Newswire1w ago
- Delaware officials present updated corporate franchise numbers for the first time in 2 yearsWHYY1w ago
What locals are saying
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Dover-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Dover area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Dover
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Dover’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Dover →Cities similar to Dover
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Delaware: 392 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Dover, unemployment runs higher at 8.0%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are tech, skilled trades & manufacturing and hospitality & tourism.
Search current openings: