Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dover Township grades C+ overall, ranked 765th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $81K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $295K for a typical one and 3.5 times the York metro’s $85K median household income. On civic life, just 67 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do worse. 24% of residents are 65 or older in Dover Township, against 21% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Brookside Park, at 31 acres.
Where Dover Township beats most towns.
Where Dover Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Dover Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 246 in 1850, 1,954 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dover Township, 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 Township.
Dover Township sends most of its workers to York and beyond, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Dover Township has 2,571 jobs for its 10,933 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Jobs based in Dover Township fell to 2,571 in 2023, 282 fewer than in 2013. Only 6% of working residents stay in Dover Township for work; the rest commute out. For Dover Township, the typical journey to work is 28 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 10 miles.
| Dover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by Dover Area SD. The largest public high school is Dover Area HS, with 979 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Salem El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 384 | B+ |
| Dover Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 979 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The range runs from 22° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 29 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails run 0.2 miles in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brookside Park | — | 31 |
| 2. Lehr Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Dover Community Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among adults in Dover Township, 17% smoke cigarettes. In Dover Township, 37% of adults have high blood pressure, and 38% sleep under 7 hours.
| Dover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Dover Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.1% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
99 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 17 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected losses in Dover Township break down as 69% from inland flooding and 11% from hurricanes. Compared with 54% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. Since 1978, 99 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The share of households in Dover Township who own their home: 86%. Zillow values the typical Dover Township home at about $295,000, up 2.6% in a year, close to the Pennsylvania typical home. The town’s typical rent is $1,402 a month.
| Dover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,402 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dover Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
22 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
23 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
23 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
23 mi LandmarkGettysburg National Cemetery
23 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark StadiumRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Dover Township
About 3 of every 100 Dover Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Dover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,954 at the 2020 census. The borough is located about eight miles from downtown York.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Dover Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover Township | #765 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | B |
| Warrington Township | #344 | A− | B+ | — | B+ | B |
| West Manchester Township | #743 | B− | C+ | C− | C+ | B |
| Weigelstown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Conewago Township | #873 | C | C− | — | B | B |
| Washington Township | #669 | B− | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Shiloh | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | #666 | B− | C | — | A− | B |
Dover Township, Warrington Township, Conewago Township, Washington Township and Jackson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Weigelstown and Shiloh aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Dover Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dover Township grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #765 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
