Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dover grades C− overall, 400th among New Jersey's 466 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. 13% of its land is conserved and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $511K, 5.2 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Dover's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. Only 47 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score higher on history. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Dover beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Dover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,958 in 1880, 18,460 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dover. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw32 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw31 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw32 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi MuseumNational September 11 Memorial & MuseumMadison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National September 11 Memorial & Museum: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dover, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Dover.
Dover is safe by national standards but not by New Jersey’s; it also scores below Wharton and its other neighbors on health and trails Randolph Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Randolph Township highest at A−.
Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. The largest public high school is Dover High School, with 1,167 students. Its public schools are run by the Dover Public School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dover Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 640 | C− |
| Dover High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,167 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
530 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 52 properties have flooded more than once.
530 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 1978. Federal aid has come to Dover households in 13 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Waterworks Park, at 44 acres. Trails total 1.7 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Dover’s density of trails stands at 0.6 miles per square mile, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 0.7 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterworks Park | 0.2 mi | 44 |
| 2. Hurd Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 3. JFK Commons | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 12.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 51% of New Jersey’s graded towns.
Dover’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 5.7 per 1,000 residents, against 7.5 in New Jersey’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Its level of violent crime is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Dover | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The income of the median household for Dover comes to $74,000. Jobs based in Dover grew to 6,770 in 2023, 1,202 more than in 2013. 14% of Dover residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are New York (5%), Rockaway Township (4%) and Randolph Township (4%).
| Dover | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.5% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A home in Dover typically sold within 37 days of listing. A typical home in the town is worth about $511,000, up 1.6% in a year, 11% below the New Jersey typical home. For households locally, the share who own their home is 46%.
| Dover | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,825 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its B−, from Wharton (B+) to Randolph Township (A+).
In Dover, 31% of adults have obesity. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Dover is ahead of New Jersey on 2 and behind on 16. Two figures for adults locally: 34% get no exercise outside work, 14% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Dover | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 23% |
| What stands out | Dover | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.2% | 22.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 26.7% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Dover
About 5 of every 100 Dover residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
3 places in Dover on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Dover.
Town in Morris County, New Jersey, US
Dover is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about 31 miles (50 km) west of New York City and about 23 miles (37 km) west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 18,460, its highest decennial census count ever and an increase of 303 (+1.7%) from the 2010 census count of 18,157, which in turn had reflected a decline of 31 (−0.2%) from the 18,188 counted at the 2000 census. Dover is a majority minority community, with nearly 70% of the population as of the 2010 census identifying themselves as Hispanic, up from 25% in 1980.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Dover.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Wharton (B−) is closest.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | #400 | C− | D | B+ | D | B− |
| Wharton | #284 | B− | D | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Rockaway Township | #162 | A− | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Randolph Township | #101 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Mine Hill Township | #172 | A− | D | — | B | A |
Randolph Township and Mine Hill Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Dover with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dover grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #400 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and D for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
18 notable people were born here, including Reince Priebus and Brandon Sklenar.
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