Today, we're going to look at the safest places to live in Delaware.
Specifically, we wanted to know just how safe it is to live in Delaware. More importantly, where are the safest cities in The First State? So, we consulted the numbers. We analyzed 23 cities with over 2,000 residents. We looked at important factors like property crimes and violent crimes per capita for every place from New Castle to Delmar.
We discovered that Delaware has many amazing places and cities that can't be ignored. There's a reason the state has the most Fortune 500 companies in the U.S., and notables like former Vice President Joe Biden and Valerie Bertinelli have been singing the praises of places like Wilmington and Bethany Beach for years. These are not only some of the best places in the state, they are some of Delaware's safest places.
35 violent / 349 property per 100k
110 violent / 506 property per 100k
Located just outside of the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, is our second safest city in Delaware for 2026, Clayton. Clayton's residents are so busy having fun, they don't have time commit crime: property or violent.
This city in Kent County offers a big city vibe with a laid back suburban feel. There's a true sense of community in Clayton, and education is a top priority.
So grab the fam, pack the U Haul, and get a-movin' soon so you don't miss out any of their safe, family friendly activities scheduled for 2026.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
66 violent / 560 property per 100k
With a little over 2,000 residents, the superb quality of life in this little city just two miles from the beach, is the reason that it is our thirdsafest city in Delaware for 2026. The city's motto is 'A Place to Come Home To'. We would have to agree.
We think this is definitely why they scored a whopping 8.5/10 on our snackablity scale with an 8/10 safety score. They were second in both violent crimes and property crimes. They are always looking out for each other. The rest of Delaware could learn a lot from Ocean View.
162 violent / 540 property per 100k
In Lewes they love their proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, their parks, and their safe neighborhoods. With characteristics like these, as well as low crime, it's no wonder they are our fourth safest city in Delaware for 2026.
Lewes scored a strong 9/10 on our safety snackability scale. They have been putting 'safety first' to the test since the beginning of Delaware. Heck, if you can keep your city safe as long as they have, you can claim the title "The First Town in the First State."
If this doesn't make you an "Lewes Believer," check out our story "Best Places to Live in Delaware." This Sussex County city is the real deal!
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
91 violent / 1,430 property per 100k
Where DE State Road 54 meets DE State Road 17 is our fifth safest city in Delaware for 2026: Selbyville.
This Sussex County city, with close to 2500 residents should be called the 'The Best City to raise a family in Delaware,' too, because their park safety is on point.
And kudos to this Delaware/Maryland border town, their snackability rating is off the charts with their low crime and high safety score! They are also crushing it with their strong job market. They scored an 8.5/10. Busy people = less naughty people. If that doesn't say safe, we don't know what does.
125 violent / 1,543 property per 100k
Middletown is the middle-of-nowhere, Delaware; so of course it's are safe. They are our sixth safest city in the Blue Hen State for 2026.
Middletown is the kind of place where one can safely cruise the roads on bicycles and skateboards.It's also the kind of place where packages from Amazon won't get stolen from your front porch.
Do we think that's why they have the ninth safest property crimes and the fifth safest violent crimes? Absolutely.
240 violent / 1,199 property per 100k
In Bridgeville they love their wide open spaces, their parks, their safe neighborhoods, and their good, wholesome country living. We all know nothing says safe like showing' up to the annual 'Apple Scrapple Festival' with your gal by your side and a newly mounted rack, right?
Bridgeville is so safe, that the only crime here is a bad haircut or putting ketchup in our seafood boil. Its small city charm delivers big opportunities to all that are searching for a safe place to call home. They claim to be more then prepared to show you the good 'ol hometown pride that makes this part of the country famous and safe.
264 violent / 1,002 property per 100k
Milton's gold star safety measures have landed them the eighth safest in Delaware. In terms of property crimes and violent crimes, they ranked sixth safest and ninth safest, respectively.
With close to 3,000 residents, the superb quality of life in this little village in Sussex County is the reason that it is our number 8 safest city in The First State for 2026. The large number of educated residents in town make it a standout for any person looking to call Delaware home.
Milton is the kind of place that you can crack a Dogfish Head brew and kick back with your friends on your front porch. Good work Milton!
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
294 violent / 967 property per 100k
244 violent / 1,777 property per 100k
Located in
New Castle County, Delaware
Elsmere's slogan should be "Where It's Happening". Not only are they a super cool, super safe city just outside of Wilmington, they have a boatload of neighborhood watch groups, and boatload of gun stores within a ten minute drive.
More importantly, Elsmere scored a strong safety ranking with an emphasis on available jobs and education. We think they are definitely deserving of our fourth safest city in Delaware for 2026. So, if safe, family friendly communities that are happenin' is your cup of tea, you better hurry because Elsmere's homes are selling like hotcakes.
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. Lower is safer.
Delaware statewide median: 321
Delaware statewide median: 1,998
Delaware statewide median: 0
On the map
Where the safety is in Delaware
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in Delaware for 2026
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in Delaware are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in Delaware.
Specifically, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:
- Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
- Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)
For example, there were 11 crimes committed in Townsend, with a reported population of 2,862. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0038, which translates into a 1 in 260 chance of being the victim of a crime.
We only looked at Delaware cities that have populations of more than 2,000. This filter left us with 23 of the biggest cities in Delaware to rank.
We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 23 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.
Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score, "The Safest Place In Delaware," with any ties going to the bigger city.
The safest city in Delaware, based on our criteria, is Townsend. The most dangerous city in Delaware? Seaford, where residents had a 1 in 17 chance of being the victim of a crime.
This article has been update for 2026. This report marks our eleventh time ranking the safest places to live in Delaware. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2024 report.
Summary
Summary: The Safest Cities In The First State
Looking at the data, you can tell that Townsend is as safe as they come in Delaware, according to science and data.
But as most Delaware residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.
The safest places in Delaware are .
For more reading, check out:
The full plate
Where Are The Safest Cities In Delaware For 2026?
Click any column to sort. All 23 ranked Delaware cities.
| Rank | City | Population | Violent / 100k | Property / 100k | Murders / 100k | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Townsend, DE | 2,862 | 34 | 349 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Clayton, DE | 4,545 | 110 | 506 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Ocean View, DE | 3,035 | 65 | 560 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Lewes, DE | 3,704 | 161 | 539 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Selbyville, DE | 3,286 | 91 | 1,430 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Middletown, DE | 25,594 | 125 | 1,543 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Bridgeville, DE | 2,920 | 239 | 1,198 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Milton, DE | 3,793 | 263 | 1,001 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Cheswold, DE | 2,379 | 294 | 966 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Elsmere, DE | 6,135 | 244 | 1,776 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Newark, DE | 30,030 | 309 | 1,998 | 3 | 1 |
| 12 | Smyrna, DE | 13,386 | 485 | 1,964 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Harrington, DE | 3,888 | 385 | 2,057 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Millsboro, DE | 7,883 | 418 | 2,359 | 12 | 1 |
| 15 | New Castle, DE | 5,552 | 378 | 3,530 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Delmar, DE | 2,279 | 614 | 2,281 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Camden, DE | 4,364 | 320 | 4,193 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Wilmington, DE | 71,958 | 1,127 | 3,158 | 34 | 25 |
| 19 | Milford, DE | 14,028 | 791 | 3,649 | 21 | 3 |
| 20 | Laurel, DE | 4,410 | 1,451 | 3,015 | 22 | 1 |
| 21 | Georgetown, DE | 8,117 | 702 | 4,989 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Dover, DE | 40,087 | 1,012 | 6,069 | 17 | 7 |
| 23 | Seaford, DE | 8,998 | 1,133 | 4,567 | 0 | 0 |
Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In Delaware
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