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Dover vs Sandpoint

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (26.7× in Dover) and size (12.2× in Sandpoint).

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Dover, IDHomes around $798KIdaho · 792 people
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Sandpoint, IDA regional job hubIdaho · 9,637 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

DoverHomes around $798K
Housing$798K typical home67% above the ID typical home All about Dover →
SandpointA regional job hub
Work6,883 jobsbased in Sandpoint, a regional job hub Housing$640K typical home34% above the ID typical home HealthHealthier than 73%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Sandpoint →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails26.7×
Dover has more miles of trail
Dover 24.0 miSandpoint 0.9 mi
Size12.2×
Sandpoint is the bigger place
Sandpoint 9,637Dover 792
Street grid4.1×
Sandpoint has the more walkable street grid
Sandpoint 94.2Dover 22.7
Jobs per worker4.6×
Sandpoint is more of a job hub
Sandpoint 1.93Dover 0.42
Work in town+42.3 pts
More of Sandpoint’s workers stay in town
Sandpoint 43.7%Dover 1.4%
Home values+54%
Homes cost more in Dover
Dover $719,100Sandpoint $465,600
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $840 more a month in Dover

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Dover$4,460/mo
Typical home $798K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.42% · or rent about $1,333/mo · Housing →
Sandpoint$3,620/mo
Typical home $640K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50% · or rent about $1,125/mo · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,000 a year, between Dover and Sandpoint.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Dover and Sandpoint share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

DoverSandpointDoverSandpoint
Dover ↔ Sandpoint2.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
126 Dover residents work in Sandpoint (42.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Dover →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Idaho ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–DoverNot graded BSandpointSafer than 63% of U.S. towns
Schools
–DoverNot graded B+SandpointBetter than 72% of districts in the state
Health
–DoverNot graded B+SandpointHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
DoverSandpoint
Snow a year62″62″
January low23°F23°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)141d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th56th
Outdoors & history
DoverSandpoint
Trails24 mi1 mi
Conserved land7.1%3.7%
Settled—1898
National Register places19
Community
DoverSandpoint
Library hours a week—52 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

DoverSandpoint
People
Population 792Lowest 9,637Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +35.3%Highest ID: +17.3% +17.3%Lowest ID: +17.3%
Median age 42.8±11.7Highest 15% above ID 41.5±2.1Lowest 11% above ID
Dover and Sandpoint are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.4%±4.6Highest ID: 24.1% 22%±3.5Lowest ID: 24.1%
Dover and Sandpoint are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 30.6%±5Highest ID: 17% 18.2%±2.7Lowest ID: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 46.9%Highest ID: 31.8% 36.6%Lowest ID: 31.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±3Highest ID: 6.3% 4.1%±1.8Lowest ID: 6.3%
Dover and Sandpoint are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $99,821±$36kHighest 28% above ID $72,289±$9kLowest 7% below ID
Dover and Sandpoint are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $719,100±$88kHighest 72% above ID $465,600±$22kLowest 11% above ID
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,333±$297Highest 8% above ID $1,125±$139Lowest 9% below ID
Dover and Sandpoint are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,992Highest 47% above ID $2,347Lowest 15% above ID
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.9%±100Lowest ID: 46.9% 52.1%±11.7Highest ID: 46.9%
Sandpoint and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.7%Lowest ID: 10.6% 14.6%Highest ID: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 92.6%Highest ID: 72.1% 57.5%Lowest ID: 72.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 2004Highest 13 yrs newer than ID 1985Lowest 6 yrs older than ID
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minHighest 30% below ID 14 minLowest 35% below ID
Work from home 23.4%±11Highest ID: 13.3% 10.3%±2.2Lowest ID: 13.3%
Dover and Sandpoint are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.4%Lowest 43.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.8 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.42Lowest 1.93Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sandpoint (43%)Ponderay (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 43% work in SandpointFew work in Dover
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.1%Highest 3.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 24.0 miHighest 0.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 7.5 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 8Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 22.7Lowest 94.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#24 of 63 in ID
School district —LAKE PEND OREILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town —Sandpoint High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.0
Idaho average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Dover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dover’s Town Square.

Sandpoint neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sandpoint’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Dover and Sandpoint

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Towns like Dover

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Troy960 people · $301K homes
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Cascade1,118 people · $346K homes
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Hayden Lake834 people · $793K homes
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Genesee1,265 people · $317K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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