Dover Plains, New York

Community in Dutchess County · population 1,322 (2020 Census)

Household income: $55,000
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 83°
Snow a year: 57 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 7
Median age: 42.4

Dover Plains is a community of 1,322 people in Dutchess County, New York. It ranks better transit than 91% of New York towns, easier by car than 86% of New York towns, better for first-time buyers than 73% of New York towns.

How Dover Plains ranks

Percentile among New York towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of New York towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $799 a month. 54.0% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of New York towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Dover Plains	Typical New York town
Median home value	—	$217,700
Median rent	$799	$1,080
Median household income	$55,000	$80,740
Home value ÷ income	—×	2.8×
Homeownership	54.0%	79.5%
Median year built	1966	1965
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Dover Plains

People	Dover Plains	Typical New York town
Median age	42.4	43.5
Age 65 and over	16.8%	20.4%
Under 18	23.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.3%	30.4%
Below the poverty line	33.2%	9.3%
Veterans	7.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	15.1%	—
Work from home	6.5%	11.1%
Average commute	31.2 min	26.0 min
Homes with broadband	92.9%	91.1%

Weather in Dover Plains

July highs average 82.5°F and January lows 15.8°F. About 45.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 57.0 inches of snow (typical New York town: 62.9 in). Expect about 9 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 141 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Millbrook 3 W station (9.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Dover Plains since 1950, compared with 5 for the typical New York town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on November 12, 2021 about 4.5 miles from the town center. The most recent was on November 12, 2021.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 14 times; the largest was 1.50 inches on June 11, 2026.

Severe weather in Dutchess County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Dutchess County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 6 deaths recorded.

Dutchess County has been included in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, other.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
July 22, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4723: Severe Storms And Flooding
September 5, 2021	Hurricane	DR-4615: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida
September 2, 2021	Hurricane	EM-3572: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida
August 22, 2021	Hurricane	EM-3565: Hurricane Henri
March 20, 2020	Biological	DR-4480: Covid-19 Pandemic

Jobs and pay in Dutchess County

Dutchess County had 112,897 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $70,950 a year. Unemployment was 3.3% in 2023; in Dover Plains itself the ACS puts it at 2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Dover Plains

3 public schools with 1,055 students, about 10.4 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
DOVER HIGH SCHOOL	9-12	465	10.8
DOVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	3-5	295	11.8
DOVER MIDDLE SCHOOL	6-8	295	8.9

Towns near Dover Plains

Dover, NY
4.2 mi · 8,415 people · home $330,000
Amenia, NY
5.9 mi · 3,769 people · home $309,500
Kent, CT
6.2 mi · 3,019 people · home $470,900
Washington, NY
6.5 mi · 4,522 people · home $532,300
Millbrook, NY
6.9 mi · 1,455 people · home $485,200
Union Vale, NY
6.9 mi · 4,558 people · home $490,900
Wingdale, NY
7.2 mi · 1,051 people · home $299,400
Amenia, NY
7.6 mi · 725 people · home $293,300

Dover Plains questions

Is Dover Plains, New York a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Dover Plains scores better for retirees than 70% of New York towns and quieter than 59%. 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 42.4).

What is the weather like in Dover Plains?

July highs average 82.5°F and January lows 15.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 45.8 inches of precipitation a year and 57.0 inches of snow.

Does Dover Plains get tornadoes?

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Dover Plains since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on November 12, 2021. The typical New York town has had 5.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Dover Plains's Census boundary (GEOID 3620841). Comparisons use the median of New York towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.