Photo: MidniteOIL · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Dover run?
Dover’s city government spent $131.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,928 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dover is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Dover School District
Dover’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Dover, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $21,232 per pupil, $13,717 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.
New Hampshire districts overall: 64% local, 28% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $3,928 per resident a year, or $10.76 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 59% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Dover runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison for Dover yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Dover’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 14% 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: $3,562 · 2023: $3,736 · 2024: $3,928.
full-time in March 2025, up from 827 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $8,249 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.89% of the home’s value, vs 1.66% across New Hampshire.
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.
Dover’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.dover.nh.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 38 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 (33,416).
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.
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 HarrisDemocrat64.4%12,655 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican33.8%6,650 votesOthers: 1.8% (355 votes).
Most votes in Dover: Kamala D Harris
Strafford County: Harris 55.3%, Trump 43.2% · New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%
of Dover’s 26,850 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New Hampshire: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Dover: Joyce Craig
Strafford County: Craig 49.9%, Ayotte 47.8% · New Hampshire: Ayotte 53.6%, Craig 44.3%
Most votes in the district: Chris Pappas
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Dover, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 64.4% | 33.8% | 1.8% | 19,660 |
| Strafford County | 55.3% | 43.2% | 1.5% | 76,688 |
| New Hampshire | 50.7% | 47.9% | 1.5% | 826,189 |
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 8 representatives to the New Hampshire House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.dover.nh.us ↗
- 2New Hampshire HouseDover is split between 6 districts
- 3New Hampshire SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Hampshire
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dover compares with the towns next door
Dover’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $740 to $9,747 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Madbury | $740 | $10,000+ |
| Rollinsford | $893 | $6,851 |
| Newington | $9,747 | $6,081 |
| Somersworth | estimate | $6,805 |
| Rochester | estimate | $5,334 |
| Dover | estimate | $8,249 |
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 $3,928 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Dover?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,249 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.89% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.66% across New Hampshire. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.dover.nh.us.
Who runs Dover’s government?
See ci.dover.nh.us for current officials. 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 64.4%, Donald J Trump 33.8% (19,660 votes, official results). Strafford County: Harris 55.3%, Trump 43.2%. New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%.
How many people work for Dover?
873 full-time and 188 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.4M (about $64.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dover in the state legislature?
Dover is split among 6 State House districts, so your address decides. The New Hampshire Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 4 (David Watters). 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), NH RSA 662:5; legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →