Dover residents report high quality of life, economic concerns, survey shows

posted on 9/26/2025

Dover residents continue to experience a high quality of life and feel safe in their community, though affordability challenges persist in the local economy, according to results from the National Community Survey, presented to the City Council on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

City Manager J. Michael Joyal Jr. told councilors that the 2025 survey results revealed safety as the highest-rated facet of community livability, with 73% of residents giving it positive marks. The natural environment ranked second at 71%, followed by health and wellness at 70%.

"Dover residents continued to feel safe in their community," Joyal said during his presentation. "This is an item that over the last several surveys has ranked very well."

The survey, conducted every two years since 2004, randomly sampled 3,000 Dover households between May 19 and July 7, 2025. Of those contacted, 467 residents responded, providing a 16% response rate and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5%. The survey was also open to all residents beginning in June.

Overall, 87% of residents rated Dover as an excellent or good place to live, while 80% gave positive ratings to the overall quality of life in the city. More than 80% of residents indicated they plan to remain in Dover for the next five years.

However, the survey also highlighted economic concerns. Only 53% of residents rated the city's overall economic health positively, marking an 8-percentage-point decline from 2023. Employment opportunities saw a drop of 13 points to 39%.

"Affordability is a challenge with our local economy," Joyal said. "I don't think that comes as a surprise to anybody. And that's actually consistent across the country."

The survey also revealed lower ratings for the cost of living, at 17% positive, and the availability of affordable housing, at just 11%, both of which are below national benchmarks. The availability of affordable, quality childcare dropped to 25%, while affordable healthcare fell to 58%, both showing declines from 2023.

The survey benchmarks Dover against more than 500 communities nationwide. Of 123 items evaluated, Dover performed similarly to other communities on 116 measures but scored lower on seven, including parks and recreation, variety of housing options, and residents' opinion of the federal government, which received a 23% rating.

Safety services received particularly strong marks, with fire services at 92%, ambulance and emergency medical services at 91%, and fire prevention education at 78%. However, animal control services saw a decline from previous years to 80%, something Joyal said the city needs to investigate further.

Transportation and mobility ratings remained consistent with national averages, though some areas showed improvement. Notably, ease of travel by bicycle increased to 44%, up from 37% in 2023. Public transportation usage also rose, with 33% of residents reporting they had used buses or other public transit instead of driving, earning Dover a "higher" rating compared to the national benchmark.

Education and cultural opportunities maintained strong support, with public library services receiving 86% positive ratings and opportunities to attend special events and festivals at 70%. The timing of the survey during Dover's arts festival and following the city's 400th anniversary celebration may have influenced these positive responses, Joyal noted.

Parks and recreation emerged as an area needing attention, scoring lower than the national benchmark at 61% positive. Joyal attributed this, in part, to concerns about the condition of playgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts.

The survey serves multiple purposes for city planning, Joyal explained. 

"It gives us some measure of performance from one period of time to another," he said. "It is information to help inform us about where the community feels priorities are in terms of the budget or for planning purposes." 

The complete survey results are available on the city's website at https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/executive/city-manager/national-citizen-survey/