Benjamin Caryl House · Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY-SA 3.0In Dover, 89% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Dover’s town government spent $28.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $4,817 per resident.
What stands out about how Dover is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Dover-Sherborn School District
Dover’s middle and high school district, shared with Sherborn. The schools are run by Dover, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $27,480 per pupil, $18,066 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.
Massachusetts districts overall: 49% local, 43% state, 8% federal.
Dover School District · $26,028 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $4,817 per resident a year, or $13.20 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 47% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Dover runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools.
$4,640 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Dover’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,640 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 50 Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,160, and the middle half spent $3,380–$5,633. Dover spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($354,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dover itself left out).
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dover reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $4,640 · 2023: $4,817.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
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 →
Who’s in charge in Dover
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 46 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (5,892).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Dover voted in 2024
Official results for Dover’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat65.4%2,439 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican30.0%1,117 votesOthers: 4.6% (172 votes).
Most votes in Dover: Kamala D Harris
Norfolk County: Harris 62.8%, Trump 34.3% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Dover’s 4,204 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Dover: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Norfolk County: Warren 59.3%, Deaton 40.5% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Jake Auchincloss
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Dover, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 65.4% | 30.0% | 4.6% | 3,728 |
| Norfolk County | 62.8% | 34.3% | 2.9% | 386,447 |
| Massachusetts | 61.2% | 36.0% | 2.8% | 3,473,668 |
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
Every level of government that speaks for Dover.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Massachusetts HouseState representatives
- 3Massachusetts SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Massachusetts
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dover compares with the towns next door
Dover spent $4,640 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $4,738 to $8,544. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Natick | $4,738 runs schools | $8,914 |
| Sherborn | $4,798 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Walpole | $4,943 runs schools | $8,523 |
| Medfield | $5,759 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Needham | $6,747 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Westwood | $7,152 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Wellesley | $8,544 runs schools | $10,000+ |
| Dover | $4,640 | $10,000+ |
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
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Dover’s government
How much does Dover spend per resident?
About $4,817 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $4,640 was more than 58% of 50 Massachusetts towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools.
Who runs Dover’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dover yet.
How did Dover vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 65.4%, Donald J Trump 30.0% (3,728 votes, official results). Norfolk County: Harris 62.8%, Trump 34.3%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Dover?
128 full-time and 91 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dover in the state legislature?
State Senate District Norfolk-Worcester-Middlesex (Becca Rausch) and State House District 13th Norfolk (Josh Tarsky). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. 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; 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 →