Living in Wilmington, DE
Small city in Delaware
Wilmington is a small city in Delaware, home to about 71,000 people, with 3.1 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Wilmington a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Easy flying: PHL is 18 mi away
- Strong healthcare: 14 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Great outdoors: coast or a lake close by
- Mild summers: highs around 82°F
👎 Cons
- Higher crime: violent crime is 3.9× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Wilmington ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Wilmington: common questions
What is the cost of living in Wilmington?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $296k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,170 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 103, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Wilmington?
Delaware collects about $2,739 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.85% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Wilmington safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (3.9× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Wilmington?
Wilmington has cold winters: winter days average around 41°F and summer days around 82°F, with roughly 12″ of snow a year.
Does Wilmington get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.6 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Wilmington?
The nearest major airport is PHL, about 18 mi away.
How Wilmington scores
Each bar compares Wilmington with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Wilmington right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.