Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety24#703/924
Economy61#364/925
Housing32#631/925
Health33#618/925
Healthcare50#461/923
Environment64#329/917
Education57#397/925
Infrastructure62#352/925
Community18#763/925
Leisure & amenities30#649/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Dover, DE metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New business applications · high127.5 /1k
100/100Delaware 56.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.408
95/100Delaware 0.449United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Effective property tax rate · low0.43%
92/100Delaware 0.54%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Mammography screening · high55.0%
89/100Delaware 55.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · low22.3%
87/100Delaware 22.3%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high51.0%
87/100Delaware 53.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high43.9%
5/100Delaware 34.2%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Job growth · low-2.8%
8/100Delaware -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Drug overdose deaths · high31.1 /100k
9/100Delaware 26.3 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
10/100Delaware 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high1,992 /100k
12/100Delaware 1,559 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · high5.3%
14/100Delaware 4.8%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
182,322 (2020) → 194,786 (2025)
+6.8%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 48% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+48 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
45.9 /1k (2020) → 127.5 /1k (2025)
+178%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
High ozone daysImproving
5 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
51.4% (2010 & 2021) → 66.5% (2022 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Homicide rateImproving
9.7 /100k (2021) → 3.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−62%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Dover, DE metro area improved on 16 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 5 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

New businesses+178%45.9 /1k → 127.5 /1k
High school++3.6 points87.4% → 91.0%
Inequality−0.0200.428 → 0.408
Poverty−2.9 points13.5% → 10.6%
Grocery stores+13%1.0 /10k → 1.2 /10k

Declined8

Suicides+60%11.5 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Property crime+6.9%1,863 /100k → 1,992 /100k
Firearm deaths+35%12.1 /100k → 16.3 /100k
Pharmacies−23%2.4 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Libraries−5.9%0.3 /10k → 0.3 /10k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Dover, DE metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	3.7 /10k2025	−3.7%	Little change	22%
Average commute time	26.4 min2015-2019	26.5 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	60%
Average weekly wage	$9552020	$1,1702025	+23%	Improved	41%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.7%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Improved	73%
Broadband subscriptions	85.2%2015-2019	91.1%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Improved	14%
Child poverty rate	20.4%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Improved	81%
Distance to an airport	53 mi2020	54 mi2025	+1 mi	Little change	4%
Drug overdose deaths	34.6 /100k2020	31.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−10%	Improved	36%
Effective property tax rate	0.48%2015-2019	0.43%2020-2024	−0 points	Little change	22%
Firearm deaths	12.1 /100k2020	16.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+35%	Declined	16%
Grocery stores	1.0 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	82%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	21%
High school diploma or higher	87.4%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Improved	88%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	31%
Homicide rate	7.1 /100k2020	3.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−48%	Improved	75%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,5002019	$56,8932024	+22%	Improved	3%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4282015-2019	0.4082020-2024	−0.020	Improved	90%
Median household income	$60,9102015-2019	$74,4772020-2024	+22%	Improved	24%
New business applications	45.9 /1k2020	127.5 /1k2025	+178%	Improved	99%
Pharmacies	2.4 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−23%	Declined	14%
Poverty rate	13.5%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Improved	85%
Property crime rate	1,863 /100k2020	1,992 /100k2025	+6.9%	Declined	4%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	−5.9%	Declined	21%
Public transit commuters	1.1%2015-2019	1.0%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Rent as share of income	32.7%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Rent-burdened households	55.9%2015-2019	52.5%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Restaurants and bars	5.5 /10k2020	6.1 /10k2025	+10%	Improved	81%
Suicide rate	11.5 /100k2020	18.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+60%	Declined	6%
Traffic deaths	14.5 /100k2015-2019	15.7 /100k2020-2024	+8.3%	Declined	48%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2020	5.3%2025	−2.6 points	Improved	39%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.3%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Violent crime rate	458 /100k2020	396 /100k2025	−13%	Improved	46%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Dover, DE metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dover, DE metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Dover, DE metro area itself moved −3.7 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

187,604 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

71,424 households (±603)

Dover, DE metro area
United States share

Under $25k13%9,145
$25k–50k19%13,599
$50k–75k18%13,201

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

71,424 households (±603)

Dover, DE metro area
United States share

Own73%51,808
Rent27%19,616

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

85,817 workers (±1,352)

Dover, DE metro area
United States share

Drive alone77%66,476
Carpool9.4%8,077
Public transit1.0%884

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Dover, DE employ 16,330 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Dover, DE by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,090 jobs	2,090	$31,200US $31,200	0%	1.24×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides2,070 jobs	2,070	$32,130US $35,800	−10%	1.1×
Cashiers2,010 jobs	2,010	$31,720US $32,880	−4%	1.49×
Retail Salespersons1,820 jobs	1,820	$34,060US $35,410	−4%	1.07×
Registered Nurses1,700 jobs	1,700	$91,620US $97,550	−6%	1.15×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers1,440 jobs	1,440	$54,150US $58,640	−8%	1.6×
Office Clerks, General1,390 jobs	1,390	$37,850US $45,010	−16%	1.29×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,330 jobs	1,330	$39,150US $37,330	+5%	1.07×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,310 jobs	1,310	$35,320US $36,840	−4%	1.35×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive1,170 jobs	1,170	$45,360US $47,540	−5%	1.56×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Dover, DE.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Dover, DE has 4,971 employer establishments, 261 for every 10,000 residents (1.05× the US rate of 248), with 61,078 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,799. The Census Bureau also counts 19,146 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,971; 19,146 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 261; US 248
Paid employees: 61,078
Average annual pay: $57,799; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Dover, DE by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	341	17.9	0.86×About typical	5,051	$60,281	716
Computer systems design and related services	317	16.7	3.85×More than typical	1,482	$196,317	751
Restaurants and other eating places	298	15.7	0.85×About typical	6,021	$25,429	66
Specialty trade contractors	265	13.9	0.90×About typical	1,675	$65,890	954
Management, scientific and technical consulting	197	10.4	1.54×More than typical	617	$97,365	800
Lessors of real estate	191	10	0.82×About typical	610	$55,269	2,349
Limited-service restaurants	137	7.2	0.90×About typical	2,480	$23,047	31
Full-service restaurants	134	7	0.92×About typical	3,063	$26,959	26
Services to buildings and dwellings	120	6.3	0.94×About typical	1,520	$47,563	884
Building equipment contractors	113	5.9	0.99×About typical	822	$67,348	159
Offices of other health practitioners	102	5.4	0.88×About typical	803	$47,790	296
Construction of buildings	100	5.3	0.70×Fewer than typical	327	$78,752	459

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 190,241 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $116.4M on contracts performed in Dover, DE metro area: $598 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $116.4M; −28% vs FY2025
Per resident: $598; US $1,994
Sole-source: 26%; US 30%
Single offer: 16%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$25.7M22%
Department of the Air Force$19.8M17%
Department of Defense Education Activity$15M13%
Defense Health Agency$11.5M9.8%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$10.8M9.2%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$7.2M6.2%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$5.2M4.4%
Federal Acquisition Service$4M3.4%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

108.4MFY2017
76.1MFY2018
129.6MFY2019
108.3MFY2020
110.4MFY2021
116.7MFY2022
107.1MFY2023
168.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$17M15%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$16.9M15%
Elementary and secondary schools · 6111$15M13%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$12M10%
Other transportation equipment manufacturing · 3369$7.2M6.2%

Largest awards

PHASE 1$50.1M
DOBCO INC· Kent County, DE· Construction & real property· Feb 27, 2019 – Jun 4, 2026· W912BU19C0017
GSA MAS ORDER FOR SHARED PLATFORM OPERATIONS CONTRACT (SPOC)$29.4M
CORBALT, LLC· Kent County, DE· IT & telecom· Apr 26, 2024 – Apr 8, 2026· 75FCMC24F0077
BASE BID: NEW FACILITY AT DOVER AFB (PF)$25.7M
STAMPEDE VENTURES, INC.· Kent County, DE· Construction & real property· Aug 18, 2025 – May 21, 2026· W912BU25F0037
PURCHASE ORDER AWARD FOR THE PURCHASE OF 2-420K AEROSTATS.$22.2M

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Dover, DE metro area: $6,951 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.4B; −0.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,951; US $12,955
Loan face value: $183.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$796M59%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$216.7M16%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$119.2M8.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$67.4M5.0%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$31.8M2.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$29.3M2.2%
14.195 · Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)$13.1M1.0%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$12.1M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

DELAWARE TECHNICAL & COMMUNITY COLLEGE$34.2M2.5%
DOVER, DE
AE OWNER LLC$6.5M0.5%
DOVER, DE
MID-ATLANTIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL$4.5M0.3%
DOVER, DE
BLUE MARBLE SPACE$4.4M0.3%
CLAYTON, DE
DOVER HOUSING AUTHORITY INC$3.8M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1B75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$244.7M18%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$34.8M2.6%
Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner$13.5M1.0%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Railroad Retirement Board$8M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.1BFY2021
1.1BFY2022
1.2BFY2023
1.2BFY2024
1.4BFY2025
1.4BFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Dover, DE

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Kent CountyCentral county48194,786

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

DoverPrincipal city39,837

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Delaware

Areas based in Delaware, best score first.

Seaford, DE68

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M20100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Dover, DE metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Dover, DE

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Delaware

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought