Demographics of Dover city, Delaware

Dover city, Delaware had 40,592 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +1,175 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Dover city, in four figures

40,592
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 39,837 ±59.; +3.0%
Change since July 2020: +1,175 people.; 34.7 ±1.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $60,199 ±$4,412
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Dover city, Delaware's population grew 3.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Dover city, Delaware's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns

About this chart

The figures

Dover city, Delaware's population grew 3.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Dover city, Delaware's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	39,417	100.0	100.0
2021	39,746	100.8	100.2
2022	39,911	101.3	100.7
2023	40,099	101.7	101.6
2024	40,311	102.3	102.5
2025	40,592	103.0	103.1

Population of Dover city, Delaware on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	39,417	—
2021	39,746	+329
2022	39,911	+165
2023	40,099	+188
2024	40,311	+212
2025	40,592	+281

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 34.7 ±1.4: for men 33.4 ±1.1 and for women 36.6 ±2.6. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Dover city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Delaware	United States
Under 5	1,921 ±319	4.8% ±0.8	5.3% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	6,152 ±719	15.4% ±1.8	15.4% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	6,652 ±645	16.7% ±1.6	8.5% ±0.2	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	10,522 ±869	26.4% ±2.2	24.8% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	7,606 ±722	19.1% ±1.8	25.4% ±0.3	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	6,984 ±654	17.5% ±1.6	20.6% ±0.3	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $60,199 ±$4,412, and income per person $31,743 ±$1,564, in 2024 dollars. The median is $84,954 ±$1,251 in Delaware and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Dover city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Delaware	United States
Under $25,000	2,608 ±492	16.9% ±3.1	11.9% ±0.5	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	3,936 ±600	25.5% ±3.8	16.4% ±0.6	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	2,913 ±483	18.9% ±3.0	15.9% ±0.5	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,092 ±375	13.6% ±2.4	13.5% ±0.5	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,231 ±385	14.5% ±2.4	19.0% ±0.6	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	923 ±258	6.0% ±1.7	10.9% ±0.4	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	725 ±217	4.7% ±1.4	12.4% ±0.4	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Dover city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Delaware	United States
All ages	5,386 ±1,125	15.0% ±3.1	10.4% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,785 ±482	22.7% ±5.6	15.0% ±0.9	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,352 ±598	11.9% ±3.0	9.6% ±0.4	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,249 ±323	14.9% ±3.6	8.5% ±0.5	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Dover city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Dover city	Delaware	United States
Housing units	16,448 ±611	464,203 ±208	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	93.8% ±1.3	86.6% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	6.2% ±1.6	13.4% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	46.9% ±2.6	73.0% ±0.6	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	53.1% ±3.0	27.0% ±0.5	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$258,900 ±$12,984	$352,000 ±$2,842	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,344 ±$50	$1,401 ±$16	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1983 ±3	1987 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Dover city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Delaware	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4,280 ±709	10.7% ±1.8	11.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	13,574 ±1,063	34.1% ±2.7	58.1% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	17,831 ±1,189	44.8% ±3.0	21.4% ±0.2	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1,168 ±283	2.9% ±0.7	4.3% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	9 to 101	< 0.1% to 0.3%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 27	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	147 to 555	0.4% to 1.4%	0.5% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2,578 ±591	6.5% ±1.5	4.5% ±0.2	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Dover city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Delaware	United States
Born in the state	16,023 ±1,080	40.2% ±2.7	42.9% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	18,237 ±1,094	45.8% ±2.7	44.7% ±0.5	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	1,246 ±305	3.1% ±0.8	1.7% ±0.2	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	4,331 ±986	10.9% ±2.5	10.7% ±0.3	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	2,307 ±441	5.8% ±1.1	5.8% ±0.3	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	2,024 ±782	5.1% ±2.0	4.9% ±0.3	6.8% ±<0.1

Dover city among the places of Delaware

2nd of 21 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the Delaware page.

Places of Delaware near Dover city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Wilmington city	71,727 ±50
Dover city	39,837 ±59
Newark city	30,330 ±122
Middletown town	24,661 ±31
Bear CDP	22,370 ±1,698
Glasgow CDP	15,546 ±2,077
Brookside CDP	15,115 ±1,163

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Dover city, Delaware

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026