Dover, DE Crime Map

Dover, DE Crime Overview: What the Data Actually Shows

Dover is a city of 125,931 residents carrying an overall crime grade of D+, yet that city-wide figure tells only part of the story. When you examine the nine neighborhoods analyzed on this map, a more nuanced picture emerges: 67% of those neighborhoods earned a combined A or B safety rating, while just 11% landed in the higher-crime D range. No neighborhood in Dover received an F. That gap between the city-wide grade and the neighborhood-level distribution reflects how concentrated crime patterns can be — a handful of areas pull the aggregate down even as most of the city remains relatively safe.

Safest Neighborhoods in Dover

The strongest performers stand out clearly. Highland Acres leads the city with an A grade and a median household income of $101,048 — the highest among all analyzed neighborhoods. Eagle Heights at Dover also earned a straight A, with a population of 1,598 and a median income of $61,340. Rising Sun-Lebanon, one of Dover's more populous communities at 3,969 residents, holds an A- alongside a median income of $85,304. Rodney Village and Cheswold round out the A- tier, with median incomes of $73,371 and $64,335 respectively. Kent Acres, graded B+, maintains a median income of $83,018 and represents a strong middle-ground option for those weighing safety alongside affordability.

Higher-Crime Areas to Understand

Downtown Dover is the single neighborhood graded D, and the income data provides important context: its median household income sits at $36,848, well below the city median of $48,500. With a population of 2,093, Downtown Dover is not a small or easily ignored pocket — it is a meaningful part of the city's core. Bicentennial Village, graded C, is actually one of the larger communities on the map at 3,407 residents, with a median income of $56,931. Understanding these two areas is essential for anyone trying to interpret Dover's overall crime grade honestly.

How Crime Grades Are Distributed Across Dover

Of the nine neighborhoods analyzed, five — or 55.6% — earned an A grade, demonstrating that the majority of Dover's residential areas maintain low crime levels. One neighborhood (11.1%) scored a B+, two (22.2%) landed at C, and one (11.1%) received a D. That distribution means more than half of Dover's measured neighborhoods are genuinely safe by any reasonable standard. The city's elevated unemployment rate of 8.5% and poverty rate of 21.9% do create pressure points, but those pressures are not evenly distributed across all communities.

Property Crime vs. Violent Crime Patterns

In cities with Dover's economic profile — a median household income of $48,500 and a poverty rate approaching 22% — property crime tends to be more widespread than violent crime, and that pattern holds here. Areas closer to commercial corridors and transit points, such as Downtown Dover, see higher incident rates across both categories. Neighborhoods with stronger median incomes, like Highland Acres and Rising Sun-Lebanon, show considerably lower exposure to both theft-related and violent incidents. The correlation between income level and crime grade across Dover's neighborhoods is consistent and worth noting for anyone relocating or investing in the area.

Using the Dover Crime Map to Make Informed Decisions

This interactive map is built for practical use, not just general awareness. Home buyers comparing Highland Acres to Bicentennial Village can see the grade difference — A versus C — alongside median home values and income data, giving them a fuller picture than a listing price alone provides. Renters weighing Downtown Dover's lower rents against its D grade can make that trade-off with open eyes, knowing the city's median rent sits at $1,066. Commuters passing through Dover daily can identify which corridors see more incident activity and plan accordingly. The map updates as new data becomes available, making it a living resource rather than a static snapshot — particularly useful in a city where neighborhood-level conditions can differ sharply from one zip code to the next.