Living in Dover, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 4% below the U.S. average in the York-Hanover metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.7 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Dover itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town6 public schools: 4 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byUPMC Memorial in York, about 7 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBaltimore is about 50 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Dover meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Dover runs into the built-up area around York (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $206,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%York County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,168 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $75,347U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 67%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,468 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 16%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 1%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 96U.S. average = 100 (the York-Hanover metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the York-Hanover metro area, not Dover alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,9592020: 1,950
Median age: 40.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 21%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 17%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Retail (22%); manufacturing (18%); schools, health care and social services (15%)
Unemployment rate: 7%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 6%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: UPMC Memorial, York, PA, about 7 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

6 public schools in Dover, run by Dover Area SD.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Pennsylvania's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 81%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 91%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 21°F
July average high: 85°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 16 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 125 a year
Rain and melted snow: 46.5 inches a year
Snow: 25 inches a year
Elevation: 430 feet

Weather stations: York Ap (6 miles away) and York 3 SSW Pump Stn (8 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

UPMC MemorialEmergency room7

Harrisburg, PACity of 51,00019

Baltimore, MDMetro of 2.9 million50

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: UPMC Memorial, Harrisburg, Baltimore.

York County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail14 miles
Gettysburg National Military Park20 miles
Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument22 miles
Eisenhower National Historic Site26 miles
Catoctin Mountain Park39 miles

Read about Dover's history on Wikipedia.

Know Dover?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Weigelstown, PA15,500 people, 2 miles
Shiloh, PA11,200 people, 4 miles
West York, PA5,100 people, 6 miles
Emigsville, PA4,300 people, 6 miles
North York, PA2,200 people, 6 miles
York, PA45,000 people, 7 miles

Smaller places

Mount Royal, PA (unincorporated)245 people, 3 miles
Wellsville, PA305 people, 6 miles
New Salem, PA822 people, 8 miles
Lewisberry, PA378 people, 9 miles
Tyler Run, PA (unincorporated)1,814 people, 9 miles
Queens Gate, PA (unincorporated)1,602 people, 10 miles
Lake Meade, PA (unincorporated)2,176 people, 10 miles
York Haven, PA687 people, 10 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.