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The 10 Best Small Towns In Delaware For 2026

The best small towns in Delaware are Greenville and Highland Acres for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

Chris Kolmar
Written by
HomeSnacks
Last updated
June 22, 2026

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Delaware. Best suburbs in Delaware. Best counties in Delaware.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the First State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Delaware based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Delaware ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

1

No. 1 best small town in Delaware

Greenville, DE

3,713 people
$142,844 median income · 4.2% unemployment
Located in New Castle County, Delaware
Median income +68% vs DE
$142,844
DE $85k
Median home value +202% vs DE
$1,216,113
DE $403k
Unemployment -18% vs DE
4.2%
DE 5.1%

Data

2

No. 2 best small town in Delaware

Highland Acres, DE

3,752 peopleSnackAbility 7/10
7/10
$102,356 median income · 4.5% unemployment
Located in Kent County, Delaware
Median income +20% vs DE
$102,356
DE $85k
Median home value -13% vs DE
$350,698
DE $403k
Unemployment -12% vs DE
4.5%
DE 5.1%

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

3

No. 3 best small town in Delaware

St. Georges, DE

1,530 people
$131,553 median income · 1.8% unemployment
Located in New Castle County, Delaware
Median income +55% vs DE
$131,553
DE $85k
Median home value +32% vs DE
$530,168
DE $403k
Unemployment -65% vs DE
1.8%
DE 5.1%

Data

4

No. 4 best small town in Delaware

Townsend, DE

2,832 people
$153,000 median income · 3.7% unemployment
Located in New Castle County, Delaware
Median income +80% vs DE
$153,000
DE $85k
Median home value +23% vs DE
$497,294
DE $403k
Unemployment -27% vs DE
3.7%
DE 5.1%

Data

5

No. 5 best small town in Delaware

Rehoboth Beach, DE

1,370 people
$137,500 median income · 6.7% unemployment
Located in Sussex County, Delaware
Median income +62% vs DE
$137,500
DE $85k
Median home value +98% vs DE
$797,506
DE $403k
Unemployment +31% vs DE
6.7%
DE 5.1%

Data

6

No. 6 best small town in Delaware

Lewes, DE

3,505 peopleSnackAbility 9/10
9/10
Lewes, DE
Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
$96,393 median income · 4.1% unemployment
Located in Sussex County, Delaware
Median income +13% vs DE
$96,393
DE $85k
Median home value +46% vs DE
$588,290
DE $403k
Unemployment -20% vs DE
4.1%
DE 5.1%

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

7

No. 7 best small town in Delaware

Dover Base Housing, DE

2,962 peopleSnackAbility 6/10
6/10
$82,161 median income · 12.4% unemployment
Located in Kent County, Delaware
Median income -3% vs DE
$82,161
DE $85k
Median home value -100% vs DE
$0
DE $403k
Unemployment +143% vs DE
12.4%
DE 5.1%

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

8

No. 8 best small town in Delaware

Milton, DE

3,567 peopleSnackAbility 7/10
7/10
Milton, DE
Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
$80,875 median income · 6.2% unemployment
Located in Sussex County, Delaware
Median income -5% vs DE
$80,875
DE $85k
Median home value +19% vs DE
$477,517
DE $403k
Unemployment +22% vs DE
6.2%
DE 5.1%

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

9

No. 9 best small town in Delaware

Camden, DE

4,106 peopleSnackAbility 7/10
7/10
Camden, DE
Source: Public domain
$63,267 median income · 1.5% unemployment
Located in Kent County, Delaware
Median income -26% vs DE
$63,267
DE $85k
Median home value +0% vs DE
$403,644
DE $403k
Unemployment -71% vs DE
1.5%
DE 5.1%

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

10

No. 10 best small town in Delaware

Clayton, DE

4,222 peopleSnackAbility 7/10
7/10
Clayton, DE
Source: Wikipedia User Elemenel | CC BY-SA 3.0
$107,307 median income · 1.3% unemployment
Located in New Castle County, Delaware
Median income +26% vs DE
$107,307
DE $85k
Median home value +1% vs DE
$405,885
DE $403k
Unemployment -75% vs DE
1.3%
DE 5.1%

Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers

The receipts

Compare the top ten

Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Delaware’s statewide median.

City Median income vs DE
1 Greenville $142,844 +68%
2 Highland Acres $102,356 +20%
3 St. Georges $131,553 +55%
4 Townsend $153,000 +80%
5 Rehoboth Beach $137,500 +62%
6 Lewes $96,393 +13%
7 Dover Base Housing $82,161 -3%
8 Milton $80,875 -5%
9 Camden $63,267 -26%
10 Clayton $107,307 +26%

Delaware statewide median: $84,954

City Median home value vs DE
1 Greenville $1,216,113 +202%
2 Highland Acres $350,698 -13%
3 St. Georges $530,168 +32%
4 Townsend $497,294 +23%
5 Rehoboth Beach $797,506 +98%
6 Lewes $588,290 +46%
7 Dover Base Housing $0 -100%
8 Milton $477,517 +19%
9 Camden $403,644 +0%
10 Clayton $405,885 +1%

Delaware statewide median: $402,891

City Unemployment vs DE
1 Greenville 4.2% -18%
2 Highland Acres 4.5% -12%
3 St. Georges 1.8% -65%
4 Townsend 3.7% -27%
5 Rehoboth Beach 6.7% +31%
6 Lewes 4.1% -20%
7 Dover Base Housing 12.4% +143%
8 Milton 6.2% +22%
9 Camden 1.5% -71%
10 Clayton 1.3% -75%

Delaware statewide median: 5.1%

City Population vs DE
1 Greenville 3,713 —
2 Highland Acres 3,752 —
3 St. Georges 1,530 —
4 Townsend 2,832 —
5 Rehoboth Beach 1,370 —
6 Lewes 3,505 —
7 Dover Base Housing 2,962 —
8 Milton 3,567 —
9 Camden 4,106 —
10 Clayton 4,222 —

On the map

Where Delaware’s best small towns are

10. Clayton109. Camden98. Milton87. Dover Base Housing76. Lewes65. Rehoboth Beach54. Townsend43. St. Georges32. Highland Acres21. Greenville1
  1. 1 Greenville
  2. 2 Highland Acres
  3. 3 St. Georges
  4. 4 Townsend
  5. 5 Rehoboth Beach
  6. 6 Lewes
  7. 7 Dover Base Housing
  8. 8 Milton
  9. 9 Camden
  10. 10 Clayton

Saturday Night Science

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Delaware

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Delaware possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 33 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 33, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Delaware. Top of that list — Greenville.

This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Delaware.

The full plate

Best Small Towns In Delaware

Click any column to sort. Search by town name.

RankTownPopulationMedian IncomeMedian Home ValueUnemployment Rate
1Greenville3,713$142,844$1,216,1134.2%
2Highland Acres3,752$102,356$350,6984.5%
3St. Georges1,530$131,553$530,1681.8%
4Townsend2,832$153,000$497,2943.7%
5Rehoboth Beach1,370$137,500$797,5066.7%
6Lewes3,505$96,393$588,2904.1%
7Dover Base Housing2,962$82,161$012.4%
8Milton3,567$80,875$477,5176.2%
9Camden4,106$63,267$403,6441.5%
10Clayton4,222$107,307$405,8851.3%
11Bellefonte1,388$90,694$296,5394.9%
12Rising Sun-Lebanon4,163$113,529$446,2710.9%
13Millville2,430$99,776$565,9933.9%
14Ocean View2,851$91,500$532,8802.6%
15Frederica1,062$80,924$372,8893.4%
16Frankford1,215$77,206$475,3480.2%
17Felton1,294$59,896$388,2202.7%
18Kent Acres2,388$91,524$345,3814.5%
19Selbyville3,097$75,592$531,4323.8%
20Riverview2,596$93,162$366,1503.2%
21Harrington3,838$72,679$275,9842.9%
22Rodney Village1,331$43,558$250,5223.3%
23Delaware City1,950$85,395$293,9627.5%
24Wyoming2,000$69,603$302,79612.3%
25Cheswold2,143$86,875$360,0847.2%
26Long Neck2,161$56,745$214,7231.9%
27Greenwood1,564$73,345$279,5251.0%
28Woodside East2,274$61,142$378,51211.9%
29Blades1,071$56,875$235,40811.9%
30Bridgeville2,745$64,879$356,9535.8%
31Delmar2,412$61,250$334,9524.6%
32Dagsboro1,376$60,607$437,4135.5%
33Laurel4,152$48,644$305,53015.9%

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 33 Delaware towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.

Summary

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Delaware are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

The best small towns in Delaware are Greenville, Highland Acres, St. Georges, Townsend, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Dover Base Housing, Milton, Camden, and Clayton.

Keep reading

More rankings worth a look

Chris Kolmar
About the author

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

Website All articles by Chris Kolmar
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