Measured FHFA data · through 2025
Home appreciation in Dover, DE
Home prices in the Dover, DE area rose +9.0% a year over the five years ending 2025, by the FHFA all-transactions index, against +9.0% a year for Delaware as a whole. The metro and its state moved almost together over that window.
The pace, three windows
1-year
+5.3%
2025 over 2024. Delaware: +4.5%.
5-year, per year
+9.0%
Compound annual pace, 2020 to 2025. Delaware: +9.0%.
10-year, per year
+6.3%
+84.6% in total since 2015. Delaware: +6.0%.
20 years against Delaware
Among the 409 metros with enough history to measure, that places Dover, DE 222nd nationally and 1st of the 2 measured metros in Delaware. The last five years ran faster than the decade: +6.3% a year over ten years, +84.6% in total. Within the window shown, the index peaked in 2007, fell 21.7% to its 2012 low, and regained the 2007 level in 2021. The strongest single year in the window was 2022 at +16.7%, and the weakest was 2010 at -7.0%. In 2025 alone the index moved +5.3%, against +4.5% for the state.
Year by year
| 2005 | 100.0 | — | 100.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 111.4 | +11.4% | 109.5 |
| 2007 | 116.2 | +4.3% | 112.2 |
| 2008 | 112.5 | -3.1% | 108.5 |
| 2009 | 105.5 | -6.3% | 102.7 |
| 2010 | 98.1 | -7.0% | 98.3 |
| 2011 | 92.5 | -5.7% | 92.8 |
| 2012 | 91.0 | -1.6% | 90.9 |
| 2013 | 91.0 | +0.1% | 91.6 |
| 2014 | 92.2 | +1.3% | 93.2 |
| 2015 | 95.0 | +3.0% | 95.5 |
| 2016 | 99.4 | +4.7% | 97.7 |
| 2017 | 100.4 | +1.0% | 99.4 |
| 2018 | 104.0 | +3.6% | 102.7 |
| 2019 | 107.3 | +3.2% | 106.4 |
| 2020 | 113.8 | +6.1% | 111.6 |
| 2021 | 129.5 | +13.8% | 125.5 |
| 2022 | 151.1 | +16.7% | 143.9 |
| 2023 | 157.1 | +4.0% | 153.5 |
| 2024 | 166.6 | +6.0% | 164.0 |
| 2025 | 175.4 | +5.3% | 171.5 |
The 2 measured metros in Delaware
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dover, DE | +5.3% | +9.0% | +6.3% |
| 2 | Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ (metropolitan division) | +4.6% | +9.0% | +6.0% |
Source & method: Metro figures: FHFA quarterly all-transactions index for metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions, annualized as the mean of the four quarterly (NSA) values. State figures: FHFA quarterly all-transactions index, annualized as the mean of the four quarterly (NSA) values. “5-yr /yr” and “10-yr /yr” are compound annual growth over the window ending 2025; all figures are nominal. Data published by the FHFA House Price Index; this edition compiled 2026-09-07. Educational data, not investment advice.
See the Delaware row in the state rankings, the county rankings, and, for why one metro number hides so much, why two homes in the same ZIP code appreciate differently.
Frequently asked questions
How fast have home prices risen in Dover, DE?
+9.0% a year over the five years ending 2025, and +6.3% a year over ten, by the FHFA all-transactions index for the Dover, DE area. Over ten years that is +84.6% in total. These are measured, nominal changes, not forecasts.
Is Dover, DE appreciating faster than Delaware?
Over the five years ending 2025 the two moved almost together: +9.0% a year for the metro against +9.0% for the state.
Does a metro average tell me what a specific home in Dover, DE will do?
No. This page reports the measured index for the whole metro. Neighborhoods and individual homes inside it followed different paths, and a metro average conceals that spread. Use it for context, then evaluate the specific property within its own local market.
Averages end where the decision starts
These are area averages from measured history. Individual homes inside the same area follow meaningfully different paths. Good Investment ranks a specific property within its own market, with context and a confidence flag.