Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,827, settled in 1826.
Dover’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and civic life and an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 37% of working residents work locally in Dover, where Vermont’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 8%. No town among the 72 in Vermont we compare has a lower median household income than Dover. 31% of the land in Dover is conserved, above both Vermont’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Green Mountain National Forest, at 5,576 acres with 4.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Dover has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Dover beats most towns.
1,124 counted in 2010 and 1,798 in 2020; an estimated 1,827 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Dover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 859 in 1810, a low of 244 in 1940, 1,798 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1828 and 5 maps from 1889 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.
in town Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
28 mi MountainMount Greylock
38 mi MountainMount Monadnock
26 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
10 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
19 mi LandmarkBennington Battle MonumentMount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bennington Battle Monument: Phil Boucher, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Dover.
About one in 3 of Dover’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Dover grew to 1,216 in 2023, 227 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Wilmington (12%), Brattleboro (6%) and Bennington (3%).
| Dover | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the River Valleys Unified School District #73. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 80 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
24 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Mountain National Forest | 4.5 mi | 5,576 |
| 2. Stratton Town Forest | — | 12 |
| 3. Dover Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 2009, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dover.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dover’s property crime rate is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Dover | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Dover beats the Vermont average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Dover. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Dover.
| Dover | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dover | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.7% | 6.4% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.3% | 85.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The July high in Dover is 74°F. Dover has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 30% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 10% of residents (18% statewide). 49% of Dover adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 4 have a higher median age than Dover.
| Dover | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 53.5 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 40% | 29% |
44% women, 56% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.8 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 85% are men (VT 51%).
| Dover | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.3% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.6% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.8% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.7% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.5% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.7% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 13% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.9% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.3% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.6% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Only 1 of the 69 Vermont towns we compare have a lower median rent than Dover. The typical Dover home is worth about $468,000, about the same as a year ago, 19% above the Vermont typical home.
| Dover | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $670 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Dover; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dover residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
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.
Town in Vermont, United States
Dover is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,798 at the 2020 census. It is famed for being the location of the Mount Snow ski area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Dover.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | — | — | C | B+ | C+ | B+ |
| Newfane | — | — | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Wilmington | — | — | C− | B+ | B− | A |
| Marlboro | — | — | D− | — | C+ | A− |
| Wardsboro | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stratton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Dover, Newfane, Wilmington and Marlboro have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Newfane and Marlboro report no FBI crime data of their own. Wardsboro and Stratton aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Dover with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
2 notable people were born here, including Sherman Adams and Kittredge Haskins.
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