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Cost of living, pay and housing

43.19° N · 70.88° W · GEOID 3318820

Dover

Strafford County, New Hampshire · part of the Boston, MA metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

New HampshireDover, NHDoverDover

The short answer

Dover is home to 33,364 people. Median household income is $94,829 a year and median rent is $1,607 a month, 20.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $436,700, about 4.6x annual median household income.

The story in Dover is how fast things are changing. Population change sped up in the latest estimate: +2.1% from 2024 to 2025, against +0.8% a year before that. Also notable: Home values run 23% below what its fundamentals predict in the same metro area.

91OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Exceptional

Dover scores better than 91% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 5th of 26 in New Hampshire.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%41
Economy 20%67
Safety 20%84
Amenities 15%68
Education 10%81
Commute 10%65
Growth 5%80
Median gross rent
$1,607
18% above the median place
Median household income
$94,829
18% above the median place
Median home value
$436,700
37% above the median place
Unemployment
4.1%
16% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Dover

  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as South Portland, ME, Westbrook, ME and Lebanon, NH), home value growth here is higher: 10.5% a year against a typical 8.3% a year.
  • HousingOwning with a mortgage costs about $934 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 85% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Dover

Strafford County gains about 3.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,338
Moved out5,957
Net+381

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Rockingham County, NH1,5151,140+375
York County, ME718849−131
Hillsborough County, NH398299+99
Carroll County, NH236327−91
Essex County, MA327143+184
Belknap County, NH174212−38
Merrimack County, NH185193−8
Middlesex County, MA211119+92

Within New Hampshire, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New HampshireOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$72K
Leavers$86K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Strafford County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
9.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.3% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Strafford County report $72,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $86,100, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$64,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,607 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,541 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $436,700.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 18.6% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Carnot-Moon, PA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
4.3%
118% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
9.3%
62% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$86,147
23% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureDoverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year19.3%62% above
Moved from another state14.3%118% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure3.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$71,9852% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$86,14723% above
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 1.9% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 88% of the 912 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

Dover20.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$64,280
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.3%
0% below the median place
Home price to income
4.6x
21% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
20%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$75,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Dover, $1,607 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Dover, but easier on the budget

Places that match Dover on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Carnot-Moon, PA9014.5% vs 20.3%$11,200Compare
Perrysburg, OH8912.9% vs 20.3%$25,400Compare
Latham, NY8816.8% vs 20.3%$12,600Compare
Saratoga Springs, NY8816.7% vs 20.3%$13,700Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Dover.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Dover? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
2.5%
64% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.9%
108% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$8,249
153% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureDoverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,60718% above
Rent to income120.3%0% below
Property tax rate11.9%108% above
Home price to income14.6x21% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure108.37% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,09330% above
Property tax paid (median)1$8,249153% above
Median home value1$436,70037% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.3%67% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure69.9%36% above
Homeownership152.7%21% below
Renters paying 30%+148.6%4% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,54136% above
Vacant homes12.5%64% below
Median year built119760% below
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $52,795, 32% above the median place.

Income per person1
$52,795
32% above the median place
Works from home1
18.6%
50% above the median place
Unemployment1
4.1%
16% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Mean commute23 min −9%
Median household income$94,829 +18%
Poverty rate8.3% −23%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureDoverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$94,82918% above
Income per person1$52,79532% above
Unemployment14.1%16% below
Average annual pay5County figure$67,5462% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.4%19% above
Jobs5County figure46,61569% below
Poverty rate18.3%23% below
Mean commute123 min9% below
Works from home118.6%50% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%71% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 2.1, 14% below the median place.

Household size1
2.1
14% below the median place
High school or higher1
96.8%
5% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
52.0%
62% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband95.4% +3%
Median age36.9 −5%
Born abroad6.0% −32%
No health insurance6.3% −2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureDoverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population133,3641371st largest
Population change since 202065.7%395% above
Median age136.95% below
Bachelor's or higher152.0%62% above
High school or higher196.8%5% above
Household size12.114% below
Born abroad16.0%32% below
No health insurance16.3%2% below
Homes with broadband195.4%3% above
05

Life in Dover

The nearest National Park Service site is Lowell National Historical Park, about 43 miles away.

Founded or incorporated in 1623. 18 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

  • County Farm Bridge listed 1975
  • Hale, William, House listed 1980
  • Reade, Michael, House listed 1980
  • Religious Society of Friends Meetinghouse listed 1980
  • Sawyer Building listed 1980
  • Woodman Institute listed 1980

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents11.1 +9%
Playgrounds per 10k6.3 −33%
Grocery stores per 10k3.6 +70%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k30.9 2.8×
Libraries per 10k0.6 −31%
Named paths and bike trails10 km 5.0×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi4.9 23.3×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Lowell National Historical Park 43 miles
  • Salem Maritime National Historical Park 46 miles
  • Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site 50 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.8 +0%
Shops29.1 −4%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.1 −20%
Child care centers2.7 +17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher13
12.9
16% below the median place
Public schools13
6
33% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
43.2
40% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureDoverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13633% below
Public school students133,78523% below
Students per teacher1312.916% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.80% above
Shops per 10k8County figure29.14% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure16.120% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.717% above
Parks per 10k911.19% above
Playgrounds per 10k96.333% below
Grocery stores per 10k93.670% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k930.9177% above
Libraries per 10k90.631% below
Named paths and bike trails910.1above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi94.9above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1043.240% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles108300% above
National Register listings111838% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 59, 69% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
59
69% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
559
54% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Average temperature14
47°F
15% below the median place
January average low14
13°F
47% below the median place
July average high14
82°F
6% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureDoverAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure82°F6% below
January average low14County figure13°F47% below
Average temperature14County figure47°F15% below
Annual precipitation14County figure47.9 in9% above
Natural hazard risk15County figure64.131% below
Hurricane risk15County figure76.58% above
Tornado risk15County figure42.248% below
Wildfire risk15County figure34.544% below
Heat wave risk15County figure49.445% below
Median air quality index16Metro figure442% above
Good air days16Metro figure71.0%4% above
08

Dover in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 20% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Dover does better than 39% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 79%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,607/mo (2024)$2,080/mo$1,710 to $2,540/mo+4.4%
Median household income$94,829 (2024)$121,000$102,000 to $143,000+4.1%
Median home value$436,700 (2024)$641,000$465,000 to $883,000+6.6%
Population34,623 (2025)35,70034,240 to 37,210+0.6%

The median home would be worth 5.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Dover

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Newmarket, NH$1,701$87,196Compare
Philomath, OR$1,477$83,672Compare
Richland, WA$1,468$95,813Compare
Lake Hiawatha, NJ$1,550$104,663Compare
Lake Hiawatha, NJRichland, WAPhilomath, ORNewmarket, NHDover, NHDoverRichlandLake HiawathaDoverRichlandLake Hiawatha

Places built like Dover

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Dover performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Dover, NH20.3%5.8%/yr5.7%
South Portland, ME25.0%4.6%/yr1.9%Compare
Westbrook, ME19.6%7.4%/yr5.7%Compare
Lebanon, NH21.3%7.7%/yr8.3%Compare
Brunswick, ME24.9%5.5%/yrn/aCompare
Keene, NH20.5%6.6%/yr0.2%Compare
Concord, NH20.4%4.9%/yr1.4%Compare

Common questions

Is Dover a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 91 out of 100, better than 91% of the places we rate and 5th of 26 in New Hampshire. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as South Portland, ME, Westbrook, ME and Lebanon, NH), home value growth here is higher: 10.5% a year against a typical 8.3% a year. Owning with a mortgage costs about $934 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 85% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 34 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Dover expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $436,700.

What salary do you need to live in Dover?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $64,280 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Dover safe?

There were 59 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Dover?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Newmarket, NH, Philomath, OR, Richland, WA and Lake Hiawatha, NJ.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Dover with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Dover itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/dover-new-hampshire

Citytistics. “Dover, New Hampshire.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/dover-new-hampshire/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.