Dover has higher household incomes than 77% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 3.4% of residents, against 10.6% across Wisconsin. The two grades for Dover are A for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Only 4% stay in Dover for work; outside it, Milwaukee is the main destination (10%, 25 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Dover apart on work
Dover workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Dover’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Dover is Milwaukee, 25 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (202) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Dover than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Dover fell from 1,704 in 2013 to 1,208 in 2023, −29%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where Dover’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Dover is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #93 of 362 in Wisconsin. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Dover could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The daily trip from Dover: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dover workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,483 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Wisconsin: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Dover
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
71% of the jobs in Dover pay over $3,333 a month
1,208 jobs are based in Dover.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dover, 2013 → 2023: 1,704 → 1,208. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Dover’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Dover
On a workday 1,942 residents head out to work, 90 work right here, and 1,118 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,400 people are in Dover on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.59 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Dover’s residents
Where Dover clocks in
10% of workers
6% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Dover is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Dover is more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns, #221 of 362 in Wisconsin. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 4.8% across Wisconsin, on an EPA index of 4.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,696 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.7% of Dover households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Dover’s commuters take a bus or train.
Dover places 366th of 4,195 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 2,900 to 5,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 66 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 364 | Harlem Township OH | 5,113 | $122K | 7.4% | 2.2% | 4% | A |
| 365 | Ralpho Township PA | 4,181 | $120K | 2.6% | 1.1% | 8% | A |
| 366 | Dover WI | 4,202 | $100K | 3.4% | 2.9% | 4% | A |
| 367 | Westport WI | 4,249 | $84K | 4.2% | 0.8% | 1% | A |
| 368 | Niwot CO | 3,447 | $146K | 2.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,195 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Dover, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Around Dover: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dover workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | – | A | C+ | 28 min | $100,156 |
| Norway | under 3% | A | C | 31 min | $103,278 |
| Brighton | under 3% | A | C− | 26 min | $91,875 |
| Yorkville | 3% | A− | C+ | 25 min | $122,936 |
| Union Grove | 4% | A+ | C | 28 min | $107,482 |
| Rochester | under 3% | A+ | C− | 25 min | $107,038 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Union Grove. Darker towns draw more of Dover’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Dover: questions
What is the median household income in Dover?
$100,156 (±$15,076) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dover?
3.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dover?
28 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dover work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Milwaukee (10%, 25 mi), Kenosha (6%, 15 mi), Racine (6%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Dover walkable?
Dover is more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 4.1 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Dover without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dover, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dover
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.