Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dover grades C overall, ranked 563rd of 745 in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its schools rank behind 75% of the state's. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 75% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $330K for a typical one and 3.4 times the Kiryas Joel metro’s $98K median household income. Dover’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Dover has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Tabor-Wing House and Second Baptist Church of Dover.
Where Dover beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,193 in 1820, 8,415 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1810 and 7 maps from 1893 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dover takes its name from Dover in Kent, England, 3,470 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionDover, settled in 1807, takes its name from Dover, a large town in Kent, England.
2 more U.S. towns are named after Dover:Dover, DE40,592Dover, NH34,623
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Dover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Dover.
19 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is West Mountain State Forest, at 373 acres.
| Dover | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pawling Nature Reserve | 3.8 mi | 306 |
| 2. Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge | 1.7 mi | 144 |
| 3. West Mountain State Forest | 0.2 mi | 373 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Dover Union Free School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dover High School, with 462 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 305 | C− |
| Dover High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 462 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 964 in 2013 to 1,355.
Most working residents leave Dover for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Dover grew to 1,355 in 2023, 391 more than in 2013. 7.5% of Dover workers work from home.
| Dover | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
30% of adults have obesity in Dover. Dover beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Dover.
| Dover | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Dover | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.6% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Dover has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 37 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dover.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dover. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
17 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
14 mi LakeCandlewood Lake
21 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
33 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
29 mi Stadium & arenaMichie StadiumUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Dover; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Dover residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Dover’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Dover on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Dover.
Town in New York, United States
Dover is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 8,415 at the 2020 census. The town was named after Dover in England, the home town of an early settler. The town of Dover is located on the eastern boundary of the county, north of Pawling, south of Amenia, and west of the state of Connecticut.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Dover.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | #563 | C | C | — | C | B+ |
| Union Vale | #366 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| Amenia | #673 | D | C+ | — | D− | B+ |
| Pawling | #193 | A− | C− | — | B | A |
| Beekman | #373 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
Dover, Union Vale, Amenia, Pawling and Beekman 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 29% of U.S. towns and #563 of 745 in New York. It grades B+ for health and C for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C.
The typical home is worth about $330,000, 37% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
4 notable people were born here, including Stephen Taber and Thomas Taber II.
