Most Americans have never been to small town Delaware. However, as the Delawarean who live there know, small town Delaware is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Delaware has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the First State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 32 of Delaware’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Delaware where you’d never want to live:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
These are the worst small towns in Delaware for 2025:
- Laurel
- Delmar
- Dagsboro
- Newport
- Woodside East
- Bridgeville
- Harrington
- Kent Acres
- Blades
- Cheswold
So what is the worst small town to call home in Delaware for 2025? According to the most recent census data, Laurel is the worst small town to live in Delaware.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Laurel home. Everyone
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Delaware or the worst places to live in Delaware.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Delaware For 2025
1. Laurel
/10
Population: 4,043
Median Home Value: $192,700
Median Income: $44,593
Unemployment Rate: 12.1%
2. Delmar
/10
Population: 2,386
Median Home Value: $222,700
Median Income: $61,344
Unemployment Rate: 7.0%
3. Dagsboro
/10
Population: 1,350
Median Home Value: $285,000
Median Income: $64,250
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
4. Newport
Population: 1,209
Median Home Value: $230,900
Median Income: $59,833
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
5. Woodside East
/10
Population: 1,680
Median Home Value: $351,900
Median Income: $57,938
Unemployment Rate: 10.8%
6. Bridgeville
/10
Population: 2,661
Median Home Value: $397,400
Median Income: $69,631
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%
7. Harrington
/10
Population: 3,805
Median Home Value: $222,100
Median Income: $72,606
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%
8. Kent Acres
/10
Population: 2,540
Median Home Value: $213,400
Median Income: $71,848
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
9. Blades
/10
Population: 1,055
Median Home Value: $209,600
Median Income: $62,596
Unemployment Rate: 6.0%
10. Cheswold
/10
Population: 1,833
Median Home Value: $290,500
Median Income: $75,000
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Delaware is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in Delaware, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2019-2023 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 32 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Delaware.
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Delaware
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the First State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The worst small towns in Delaware are Laurel, Delmar, Dagsboro, Newport, Woodside East, Bridgeville, Harrington, Kent Acres, Blades, and Cheswold.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Delaware, according to science:
- Dover Base Housing (Pop. 3,026)
- Townsend (Pop. 2,792)
- St. Georges (Pop. 1,564)
For more Delaware reading, check out:
Worst Small Towns In Delaware
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel | 4,043 | 12.1% | $192,700 | $44,593 |
| 2 | Delmar | 2,386 | 7.0% | $222,700 | $61,344 |
| 3 | Dagsboro | 1,350 | 4.6% | $285,000 | $64,250 |
| 4 | Newport | 1,209 | 6.2% | $230,900 | $59,833 |
| 5 | Woodside East | 1,680 | 10.8% | $351,900 | $57,938 |
| 6 | Bridgeville | 2,661 | 7.5% | $397,400 | $69,631 |
| 7 | Harrington | 3,805 | 5.5% | $222,100 | $72,606 |
| 8 | Kent Acres | 2,540 | 4.7% | $213,400 | $71,848 |
| 9 | Blades | 1,055 | 6.0% | $209,600 | $62,596 |
| 10 | Cheswold | 1,833 | 8.0% | $290,500 | $75,000 |
| 11 | Wyoming | 1,789 | 13.1% | $263,000 | $66,815 |
| 12 | Delaware City | 1,976 | 7.1% | $245,500 | $78,333 |
| 13 | Camden | 4,011 | 4.0% | $268,800 | $61,895 |
| 14 | Felton | 1,129 | 6.7% | $276,800 | $62,000 |
| 15 | Greenwood | 1,800 | 1.0% | $230,000 | $72,063 |
| 16 | Rodney Village | 1,318 | 2.1% | $161,500 | $40,341 |
| 17 | Long Neck | 2,372 | 0.6% | $174,000 | $55,508 |
| 18 | Selbyville | 3,005 | 3.6% | $410,700 | $81,845 |
| 19 | Milton | 3,469 | 7.7% | $376,600 | $64,906 |
| 20 | Millville | 2,059 | 4.9% | $453,400 | $93,409 |
| 21 | Riverview | 2,412 | 3.0% | $287,700 | $85,833 |
| 22 | Rising Sun-Lebanon | 4,195 | 0.3% | $388,600 | $109,167 |
| 23 | Ocean View | 2,760 | 1.9% | $483,600 | $88,021 |
| 24 | Bellefonte | 1,507 | 4.3% | $275,200 | $86,667 |
| 25 | Clayton | 4,086 | 0.9% | $343,700 | $103,211 |
| 26 | Rehoboth Beach | 1,388 | 7.0% | $1,238,400 | $141,250 |
| 27 | Highland Acres | 3,661 | 3.6% | $293,600 | $101,685 |
| 28 | Lewes | 3,415 | 3.9% | $806,700 | $92,375 |
| 29 | Greenville | 3,100 | 4.4% | $1,003,100 | $139,541 |
| 30 | Dover Base Housing | 3,026 | 3.8% | $1,000 | $71,181 |
| 31 | Townsend | 2,792 | 2.6% | $433,400 | $153,083 |
| 32 | St. Georges | 1,564 | 2.0% | $474,500 | $146,944 |