Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5How is Dover run?
Dover’s city government spent $56.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,463 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Dover didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Dover is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Dover
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: cityofdover.com ↗
Dover’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofdover.com ↗.
About $1,463 per resident a year, or $4.01 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Dover didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Dover yet
Every year of Dover’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 318 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,470 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dover’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Dover’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dover →
One full-time city employee for every 117 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (38,594).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Capital School District
Dover’s K–12 school district, shared with Cheswold, Hartly, Little Creek, Leipsic. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,521 per pupil, $12,903 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Delaware districts overall: 32% local, 57% state, 11% federal.
Caesar Rodney School District · $18,902 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Dover’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dover alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kent County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.2%44,222 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.2%42,458 votesOthers: 1.7% (1,461 votes).
Most votes in Kent County: Kamala D Harris
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Dover lies in Kent County. Every 2024 race in Kent County is on the county’s page.
Kent County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Dover sends 4 representatives to the Delaware House alone.
- 1Your cityMayorRobin R. Christiansenas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Delaware HouseDover is split between 4 districts
- 3Delaware SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Delaware
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dover compares with the towns next door
Dover’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 0 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Dover | estimate | $1,470 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Dover’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dover’s government
How much does Dover spend per resident?
About $1,463 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Dover didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $150.7 million.
What is the property tax rate in Dover?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,470 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofdover.com.
Who is the mayor of Dover?
Robin R. Christiansen, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on cityofdover.com.
How did Dover vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dover alone. Kent County, where 100% of Dover lies, voted Harris 50.2%, Trump 48.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dover?
330 full-time and 33 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.6M (about $31.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dover in the state legislature?
Dover is split among 4 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Delaware Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dover’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Dover, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →