Dover, DE

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

187,604

US Senator

Chris Coons

Democratic Party

US Senator

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Democratic Party

US Representative

Sarah McBride

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

38.8

0.779% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.6%

5.77% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$74,477

2.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$316,600

8.95% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

85,181

1.24% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Dover, DE reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.2% of the residents in Dover, DE are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Dover, DE are Delaware Technical Community College-Terry (1,818 degrees awarded in 2024), Polytech Adult Education (904 degrees), and Delaware State University (812 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Dover, DE was $316,600, and the homeownership rate was 72.5%.

Most people in Dover, DE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Dover, DE was 2 cars per household.

Dover, DE borders Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Ocean City, NJ, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Salisbury, MD-DE, and Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ.

Photo by Jeffrey

United States Delaware

Population & Diversity

Dover, DE is home to a population of 188k people, from which 97.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.34% of Dover, DE residents were born outside of the country (13.8k people).

In 2024, there were 2.14 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (106k people) in Dover, DE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 49.5k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 9.03k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.2%

2024 Citizenship

97.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.2% of Dover, DE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Dover, DE was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Dover, DE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Dover, DE

White (Non-Hispanic)
106k ± 475
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
49.5k ± 1.06k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
9.03k ± 1.12k

8.11%

Hispanic Population

15.2k people

8.11% of the people in Dover, DE are hispanic (15.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Dover, DE as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Delaware.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
14,760 ± 2,961 people
India
11,216 ± 2,586 people
Guatemala
6,638 ± 1,994 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Delaware was Mexico, the natal country of 14,760 Delaware residents, followed by India with 11,216 and Guatemala with 6,638.

Foreign-Born Population

7.34%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

13.8k people

7.14%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

13.2k people

As of 2024, 7.34% of Dover, DE residents (13.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Dover, DE was 7.14%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Dover, DE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
4,530 ± 615
Vietnam
4,363 ± 471
Gulf War (1990s)
2,357 ± 376

Dover, DE has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.04 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Dover, DE.

Health

93.4% of the population of Dover, DE has health coverage, with 43.7% on employee plans, 19% on Medicaid, 12.5% on Medicare, 15.1% on non-group plans, and 3.08% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Delaware see 1,356 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,356 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2181 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 296 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Delaware.

1,356 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Delaware

Primary care physicians in Delaware see an average of 1,356 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,356 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Delaware in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.1% under 18 years, 20.5% between 18 and 34 years, 36.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.6% were men and 52.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.6%

Uninsured

43.7%

Employer Coverage

19%

Medicaid

12.5%

Medicare

15.1%

Non-Group

3.08%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Dover, DE declined by 5.13% from 6.96% to 6.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Dover, DE changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Dover, DE employs 85.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Dover, DE were Health Care & Social Assistance (13,277 people), Retail Trade (10,678 people), and Educational Services (8,772 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($132,527), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($66,919), and Public Administration ($63,137).

Employment

Occupations

85.2k

2024 Value

± 2,714

1.24%

1 Year growth

± 4.36%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dover, DE grew at a rate of 1.24%, from 84.1k employees to 85.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Dover, DE, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (10,349 people), Management Occupations (8,036 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (6,412 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Dover, DE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Delaware.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Delaware (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

85.2k

2024 Value

± 2,714

1.24%

1 Year growth

± 4.36%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Dover, DE grew at a rate of 1.24%, from 84.1k employees to 85.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Dover, DE, are Health Care & Social Assistance (13,277 people), Retail Trade (10,678 people), and Educational Services (8,772 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Dover, DE, though some of these residents may live in Dover, DE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,795

Median earning men ± $1,718

$41,882

Median earning women ± $1,115

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($67,072), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($64,580), and Information ($63,542).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($60,096), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,000), and Public Administration ($56,375).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Delaware.

Y-Axis

2.43%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 472k people employed in Delaware. This represents a 2.43% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Delaware.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

480
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
284
Other Services (except Public Administration)
278
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$698k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$368k
Retail Trade
$349k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Delaware went to Kamala Harris with 56.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (41.8%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.904%).

Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester are the senators currently representing the state of Delaware. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Dover, DE is currently represented by Sarah McBride in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Dover, DE. Showing the available data for Delaware.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (56.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (41.8%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (0.904%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Delaware went to Kamala Harris with 56.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (41.8%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.904%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Delaware for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Delaware

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Delaware.

Chris Coons

Senator from Delaware

Assumed office on November 15, 2010
Elected to the seat to succeed Ted Kaufman, who had been appointed to the seat following the resignation of Joe Biden, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Senator from Delaware

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester are the senators currently representing Delaware.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Delaware over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Dover, DE

Sarah McBride

District at-large Representative

Democratic Party

Dover, DE is currently represented by Sarah McBride (Democratic Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Dover, DE have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2024, universities in Dover, DE awarded 3,542 degrees. The student population of Dover, DE in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 6,643 male students and 12,632 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Dover, DE are White (1,527 and 43.5%), Black or African American (1,232 and 35.1%), Hispanic or Latino (429 and 12.2%), and Two or More Races (148 and 4.21%).

The largest universities in Dover, DE by number of degrees awarded are Delaware Technical Community College-Terry (1,818 and 51.3%), Polytech Adult Education (904 and 25.5%), and Delaware State University (812 and 22.9%).

The most popular majors in Dover, DE are Registered Nursing (479 and 13.5%), General Studies (176 and 4.97%), and Electrician (156 and 4.4%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $5,669 for in-state students and $12,366 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Dover, DE, the percentage of applicants admitted was 46.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 33.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 19,275 (34.5% men and 65.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 19,275 students enrolled in Dover, DE, 34.5% men and 65.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 7,732 records, of which 67.2% were women and 32.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
292 degrees awarded
General Studies
176 degrees awarded
Elementary Education & Teaching
101 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Dover, DE was Registered Nursing with 292 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Dover, DE according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Delaware Technical Community College-Terry
1,818 degrees awarded
Polytech Adult Education
904 degrees awarded
Delaware State University
812 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Delaware Technical Community College-Terry with 1,818 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,441 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Dover, DE, which is 0.686 times less than the 2,101 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,527 degrees mean that there were 1.24 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,232 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($5,669) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($833) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,750) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Dover, DE was $316,600 in 2024, which is 0.952 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $290,600 to $316,600, a 8.95% increase. The homeownership rate in Dover, DE is 72.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Dover, DE have an average commute time of 26.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Dover, DE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$316,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,188

$51,808

Median Property Taxes

±$1,830

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Dover, DE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Dover, DE compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

72.5%

Homeownership

2024

70.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.5% of the housing units in Dover, DE were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 71%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Dover, DE compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$74,477

Median Household Income

± $2,101

71.4k

Number of Households

± 2,243

In 2024, the median household income of the 71.4k households in Dover, DE grew to $74,477 from the previous year's value of $72,872.

The following chart displays the households in Dover, DE distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Dover, DE is from Delaware.

0.451

2024 Wage GINI in Delaware

0.456

2023 Wage GINI in Delaware

In 2024, the income inequality in Delaware was 0.451 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.975% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Delaware was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Delaware in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Delaware across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.5%)
Carpooled (9.41%)
Worked At Home (8.72%)

In 2024, 77.5% of workers in Dover, DE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.41%) and those who worked at home (8.72%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Dover, DE have a longer commute time (26.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.03% of the workforce in Dover, DE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Dover, DE compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Dover, DE distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Dover, DE have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Dover, DE (19.4k out of 183k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Dover, DE is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.