Thinking of retiring in the Diamond State soon? Before you make any final decisions, read our Saturday Night Science based attempt to uncover the best spots to retire in Delaware.
If you like the idea of living your golden years near the sea but don’t fancy going as far south as Florida, Delaware is a wonderful option. Delaware is a happy middle ground on the Atlantic that everyone can get to during the holidays. Whether you’re into the more fun-and-friendly oceanside shores or the quieter bayside scene, we’re sure you won’t be disappointed by the wide variety of beaches Delaware has to offer.
What cities in Delaware have the most going on for retired folks? About half the cities on this list are in the southern part of the state, not super-close to the state’s biggest cities. Smyrna is the best Dover suburb to retire in, while New Castle tops the list of Wilmington suburbs. If you want to be near some of Delaware’s best beaches, you can’t go wrong retiring in Lewes or Rehoboth Beach.
The great thing about retiring in the second-smallest state in the country is that you’ll have no trouble visiting every corner with all your newfound free time.
$381 median rent · $96,393 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Delaware
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,140 median rent · $64,879 median income · #5 cheapest rent in Delaware
$880 median rent · $86,875 median income · #2 cheapest rent in Delaware
The Old Town area of Cheswold is located at the intersection of Main Street and Commerce Street west of the Delmarva Central Railroad tracks and serves as the oldest settled part of the town. Cheswold is made up of several residential communities, including Parkers Run, Strimmels Mobile Home Park, Fox Pointe Mobile Home Park, Blanton Mobile Home Park, Stonington, and Nobles Pond.
Cheswold has a post office for P.O. boxes with a ZIP code of 19936. However, the delivery of mail in Cheswold is handled by the Dover post office with a ZIP code of 19904. The Cheswold name may be used for mail delivered to addresses in town with the 19904 ZIP code.
$1,193 median rent · $153,000 median income · #8 cheapest rent in Delaware
$1,739 median rent · $89,205 median income · #20 cheapest rent in Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 5,285.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,152 median rent · $75,592 median income · #6 cheapest rent in Delaware
$1,224 median rent · $58,671 median income · #9 cheapest rent in Delaware
Located in
New Castle County, Delaware
Wilmington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It is at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine River, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Wilmington was named by Proprietor Thomas Penn after his friend Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, who was prime minister in the reign of George II of Great Britain.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,310 median rent · $80,875 median income · #13 cheapest rent in Delaware
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,621 median rent · $107,307 median income · #18 cheapest rent in Delaware
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$906 median rent · $61,250 median income · #3 cheapest rent in Delaware
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Delaware’s statewide median.
Delaware statewide median: $84,954
Delaware statewide median: $402,891
On the map
Where to retire in Delaware
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the First State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Delaware to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the First State — 77 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 2,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 22 places from across the state.
For these 22, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 22, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Lewes, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Delaware.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Delaware
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewes | 3.60 | 3,505 | $96,393 | $588,290 | $381 |
| 2 | Bridgeville | 7.40 | 2,745 | $64,879 | $356,953 | $1,140 |
| 3 | Cheswold | 8.50 | 2,143 | $86,875 | $360,084 | $880 |
| 4 | Townsend | 9.20 | 2,832 | $153,000 | $497,294 | $1,193 |
| 5 | New Castle | 9.40 | 5,579 | $89,205 | $280,916 | $1,739 |
| 6 | Selbyville | 9.40 | 3,097 | $75,592 | $531,432 | $1,152 |
| 7 | Wilmington | 10.60 | 71,727 | $58,671 | $325,758 | $1,224 |
| 8 | Milton | 11.20 | 3,567 | $80,875 | $477,517 | $1,310 |
| 9 | Clayton | 11.30 | 4,222 | $107,307 | $405,885 | $1,621 |
| 10 | Delmar | 11.70 | 2,412 | $61,250 | $334,952 | $906 |
| 11 | Smyrna | 12.20 | 13,165 | $67,048 | $400,874 | $1,534 |
| 12 | Milford | 12.20 | 12,803 | $59,464 | $343,315 | $1,260 |
| 13 | Elsmere | 12.20 | 6,203 | $67,944 | $239,941 | $1,339 |
| 14 | Ocean View | 12.50 | 2,851 | $91,500 | $532,880 | $1,774 |
| 15 | Harrington | 12.60 | 3,838 | $72,679 | $275,984 | $1,277 |
| 16 | Seaford | 13.20 | 8,485 | $54,016 | $310,072 | $1,176 |
| 17 | Millsboro | 13.30 | 7,424 | $78,707 | $396,649 | $1,277 |
| 18 | Wyoming | 13.30 | 2,000 | $69,603 | $302,796 | $1,558 |
| 19 | Newark | 13.80 | 30,330 | $76,912 | $364,096 | $1,654 |
| 20 | Laurel | 14.20 | 4,152 | $48,644 | $305,530 | $1,056 |
| 21 | Dover | 14.40 | 39,837 | $60,199 | $339,650 | $1,344 |
| 22 | Camden | 16.80 | 4,106 | $63,267 | $403,644 | $1,836 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 22 cities with more than 2,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Delaware Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Delaware goes to Lewes.
The best places to retire in Delaware are Lewes, Bridgeville, Cheswold, Townsend, New Castle, Selbyville, Wilmington, Milton, Clayton, and Delmar.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
