Crime & Safety in Dover
Dover's real, current crime picture is genuinely serious, and this record discloses it directly rather than minimizing it: NeighborhoodScout cited a rate higher than more than 93% of Delaware communities, and named Dover among the nation's top 100 most dangerous cities of all sizes.
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Learn moreA Real, Genuinely High Overall Crime Rate
NeighborhoodScout cited Dover's overall crime rate at approximately 73 crimes per 1,000 residents (a cited approximately 1-in-14 chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime) -- data cited as reflecting FBI reported crime data updated in January 2026.
A Real, Unflattering Within-Delaware Comparison
The same source described more than 93% of Delaware communities as carrying a LOWER crime rate than Dover -- a real, disclosed, genuinely unflattering within-state comparison this record does not omit.
A Real, Significant National Ranking
NeighborhoodScout separately named Dover among the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S.A. across communities of all sizes nationally -- a real, disclosed, significant national-level citation this record discloses directly rather than presenting only the within-state comparison.
Violent Crime Specifically
Violent crime was cited at approximately a 1-in-94 chance of victimization, described as among the highest rates nationally across communities of all sizes -- a real, disclosed figure worth weighing alongside the overall-rate comparisons above.
This Record Did Not Find a More Favorable Alternative Framing
Unlike some other records in this project's dataset where a source offered a genuinely more favorable same-size-community comparison alongside a less favorable one, the sources reviewed for Dover this pass did not offer a comparably favorable alternative framing -- this record discloses that directly rather than searching for one to soften the picture.
Research Current, Address-Specific Data Directly
This record did not independently research current, address-specific or neighborhood-level crime variance within Dover to comparable depth this pass. Movers should independently review the Dover Police Department's own current, published statistics for a precise, current figure specific to a target neighborhood rather than relying on any single aggregator cited here.
Key takeaways
- Dover's overall crime rate (~73 per 1,000, ~1-in-14 victimization chance) runs higher than more than 93% of Delaware's own communities.
- NeighborhoodScout named Dover among the top 100 most dangerous U.S. cities of all sizes nationally.
- Violent crime specifically (~1-in-94) was cited as among the highest nationally.
- This record did not find a more favorable alternative crime-rate framing for Dover this pass, unlike some other markets in this project's dataset.
- Research current, address-specific crime data directly via the Dover Police Department for a target neighborhood.
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