Safest Places to Live in Delaware of September 2026
Delaware is located on the East Coast, in the northeast of the United States. It is the second smallest state, right after Rhode Island. It is so small that it is divided into only three counties. With slightly over 950,000 residents, it is the 6th least populous and the 6th most densely populated state.
However, Delaware has been a critical state throughout the history of the United States. It was one of the original 13 colonies, and it was also the first state to ratify the US Constitution, hence its nickname ‘The First State.’
The capital and the second-largest city is Dover, while Wilmington, with over 70,000 residents, is the largest city.
Ranking Criteria
ElitePersonalFinance extracted the latest data from the FBI crime statistics in the United States. We took violent crime as the main criteria. To get our score, we used this formula:
Crime Score = ( Total Number of Violent Crimes / Population ) * 1,000
This way, safer cities got the lowest score, and those more vulnerable to crimes got higher scores.
The cities that did not report crimes to the FBI and those under 3,000 residents were not included in the list.
10 Safest Places in Delaware of September 2026
| Rank: | City: | Population: | Total Number of Crimes: | Crime Score: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | City:Lewes | Population:3286 | Total Number of Crimes:4 | Crime Score:1,22 |
| Rank:2 | City:Milton | Population:3017 | Total Number of Crimes:4 | Crime Score:1,33 |
| Rank:3 | City:Camden | Population:3507 | Total Number of Crimes:5 | Crime Score:1,43 |
| Rank:4 | City:Elsmere | Population:5963 | Total Number of Crimes:11 | Crime Score:1,84 |
| Rank:5 | City:Clayton | Population:3448 | Total Number of Crimes:7 | Crime Score:2,03 |
| Rank:6 | City:Middletown | Population:23079 | Total Number of Crimes:48 | Crime Score:2,08 |
| Rank:7 | City:Newark | Population:33957 | Total Number of Crimes:85 | Crime Score:2,50 |
| Rank:8 | City:Smyrna | Population:11768 | Total Number of Crimes:32 | Crime Score:2,72 |
| Rank:9 | City:New Castle | Population:5558 | Total Number of Crimes:21 | Crime Score:3,78 |
| Rank:10 | City:Georgetown | Population:7558 | Total Number of Crimes:43 | Crime Score:5,69 |
Crime Score in All Cities in Delaware of September 2026
If your city didn’t make our list, you could see our full list of Delaware cities.
We can’t compare crime rates in small and large cities. That’s why ElitePersonalFinance made a detailed analysis and narrowed the results according to population segments:
- Under 3,000 Residents
- 3,000 – 10,000 Residents
- Over 10,000 Residents
(Other sites don’t include places with under 3,000 residents, but we included them.)
These are the results that we got:
Under 3,000 Residents
| Rank: | City: | Population: | Total Number of Crimes: | Crime Score: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | City:Ocean View | Population:2180 | Total Number of Crimes:1 | Crime Score:0,46 |
| Rank:2 | City:Felton | Population:1420 | Total Number of Crimes:2 | Crime Score:1,41 |
| Rank:3 | City:Dagsboro | Population:916 | Total Number of Crimes:2 | Crime Score:2,18 |
| Rank:4 | City:Bethany Beach | Population:1244 | Total Number of Crimes:3 | Crime Score:2,41 |
| Rank:5 | City:Wyoming | Population:1565 | Total Number of Crimes:4 | Crime Score:2,56 |
| Rank:6 | City:Blades | Population:1469 | Total Number of Crimes:4 | Crime Score:2,72 |
| Rank:7 | City:Newport | Population:1026 | Total Number of Crimes:3 | Crime Score:2,92 |
| Rank:8 | City:Cheswold | Population:1639 | Total Number of Crimes:6 | Crime Score:3,66 |
| Rank:9 | City:Ellendale | Population:444 | Total Number of Crimes:2 | Crime Score:4,50 |
| Rank:10 | City:Selbyville | Population:2540 | Total Number of Crimes:12 | Crime Score:4,72 |
| Rank:11 | City:Bridgeville | Population:2407 | Total Number of Crimes:12 | Crime Score:4,99 |
| Rank:12 | City:Greenwood | Population:1138 | Total Number of Crimes:6 | Crime Score:5,27 |
| Rank:13 | City:Delaware City | Population:1830 | Total Number of Crimes:11 | Crime Score:6,01 |
| Rank:14 | City:Rehoboth Beach | Population:1546 | Total Number of Crimes:10 | Crime Score:6,47 |
| Rank:15 | City:Delmar | Population:1822 | Total Number of Crimes:17 | Crime Score:9,33 |
| Rank:16 | City:Dewey Beach | Population:394 | Total Number of Crimes:7 | Crime Score:17,77 |
3,000 – 10,000 Residents
| Rank: | City: | Population: | Total Number of Crimes: | Crime Score: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | City:Lewes | Population:3286 | Total Number of Crimes:4 | Crime Score:1,22 |
| Rank:2 | City:Milton | Population:3017 | Total Number of Crimes:4 | Crime Score:1,33 |
| Rank:3 | City:Camden | Population:3507 | Total Number of Crimes:5 | Crime Score:1,43 |
| Rank:4 | City:Elsmere | Population:5963 | Total Number of Crimes:11 | Crime Score:1,84 |
| Rank:5 | City:Clayton | Population:3448 | Total Number of Crimes:7 | Crime Score:2,03 |
| Rank:6 | City:New Castle | Population:5558 | Total Number of Crimes:21 | Crime Score:3,78 |
| Rank:7 | City:Georgetown | Population:7558 | Total Number of Crimes:43 | Crime Score:5,69 |
| Rank:8 | City:Millsboro | Population:4524 | Total Number of Crimes:27 | Crime Score:5,97 |
| Rank:9 | City:Seaford | Population:7987 | Total Number of Crimes:68 | Crime Score:8,51 |
| Rank:10 | City:Harrington | Population:3652 | Total Number of Crimes:35 | Crime Score:9,58 |
| Rank:11 | City:Laurel | Population:4469 | Total Number of Crimes:62 | Crime Score:13,87 |
Over 10,000 Residents
| Rank: | City: | Population: | Total Number of Crimes: | Crime Score: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | City:Middletown | Population:23079 | Total Number of Crimes:48 | Crime Score:2,08 |
| Rank:2 | City:Newark | Population:33957 | Total Number of Crimes:85 | Crime Score:2,50 |
| Rank:3 | City:Smyrna | Population:11768 | Total Number of Crimes:32 | Crime Score:2,72 |
| Rank:4 | City:Milford | Population:11592 | Total Number of Crimes:84 | Crime Score:7,25 |
| Rank:5 | City:Dover | Population:38361 | Total Number of Crimes:334 | Crime Score:8,71 |
| Rank:6 | City:Wilmington | Population:70624 | Total Number of Crimes:1058 | Crime Score:14,98 |
If you want to share anything, feel free to leave a comment.
How safe do you feel?
That way, you can help us understand your perspective better. Is your city safe enough?
Are you worried because of the crime rate in your town? Do you have any thoughts on safety levels in the country?
Thank you!
Archives
- Safest Places to Live in Delaware 2020
- Safest Places to Live in Delaware 2019
- Safest Places to Live in Delaware 2018
- Safest Places to Live in Delaware 2017
- Safest Places to Live in Delaware 2016
Sources:
