Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Dover run?
Dover’s town government spent $27.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,497 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dover is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Dover Town School District
Dover’s K–12 school district, shared with Victory Gardens. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,369 per pupil, $14,687 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 Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,497 per resident a year, or $4.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,091 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dover’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,091 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,200, and the middle half spent $1,010–$1,449. Dover spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.7 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dover itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 43% 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: $1,091 · 2024: $1,497. Per resident it went from $1,091 to $1,497 (up 37%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 17,619 to 18,422.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $7,043 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.92% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.
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 town posts agendas and minutes on dover.nj.us ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 159 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 2024 finance file (18,422).
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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Dover.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: dover.nj.us ↗
- 2New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
- 3New Jersey SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dover compares with the towns next door
Dover spent $1,091 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wharton | estimate | $9,296 |
| Rockaway Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Randolph Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Mine Hill Township | estimate | $8,483 |
| Dover | $1,091 | $7,043 |
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 $1,497 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,091 was less than 64% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dover?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,043 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dover.nj.us.
Who runs Dover’s government?
See dover.nj.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dover yet.
How many people work for Dover?
116 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $964,246 (about $11.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Dover in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Tony Bucco) and General Assembly District 25 (Aura Dunn and Marisa Sweeney). The General Assembly district also covers 18 other 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 →