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 33 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 2024:
- Laurel
- Woodside East
- Bridgeville
- Delmar
- Dagsboro
- Long Neck
- Newport
- Frederica
- Cheswold
- Harrington
So what is the worst small town to call home in Delaware for 2024? 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 2024
1. Laurel
/10
Population: 3,954
Median Home Value: $279,527
Median Income: $42,710
Unemployment Rate: 13.9%
2. Woodside East
/10
Population: 2,002
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $53,517
Unemployment Rate: 22.3%
3. Bridgeville
/10
Population: 2,590
Median Home Value: $313,458
Median Income: $61,523
Unemployment Rate: 7.6%
4. Delmar
/10
Population: 2,398
Median Home Value: $303,261
Median Income: $55,625
Unemployment Rate: 5.2%
5. Dagsboro
/10
Population: 1,338
Median Home Value: $420,216
Median Income: $65,625
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
6. Long Neck
/10
Population: 2,983
Median Home Value: $145,808
Median Income: $59,563
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%
7. Newport
Population: 1,145
Median Home Value: $242,122
Median Income: $62,875
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%
8. Frederica
Population: 1,001
Median Home Value: $339,444
Median Income: $63,200
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
9. Cheswold
/10
Population: 1,639
Median Home Value: $180,425
Median Income: $68,083
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
10. Harrington
/10
Population: 3,770
Median Home Value: $243,428
Median Income: $63,814
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
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 2018-2022 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 – 33 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 2024, 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, Woodside East, Bridgeville, Delmar, Dagsboro, Long Neck, Newport, Frederica, Cheswold, and Harrington.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Delaware, according to science:
- Bethany Beach (Pop. 1,064)
- Townsend (Pop. 2,728)
- St. Georges (Pop. 1,304)
For more Delaware reading, check out:
Worst Small Towns In Delaware
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel | 3,954 | 13.9% | $279,527 | $42,710 |
| 2 | Woodside East | 2,002 | 22.3% | $0 | $53,517 |
| 3 | Bridgeville | 2,590 | 7.6% | $313,458 | $61,523 |
| 4 | Delmar | 2,398 | 5.2% | $303,261 | $55,625 |
| 5 | Dagsboro | 1,338 | 5.0% | $420,216 | $65,625 |
| 6 | Long Neck | 2,983 | 7.5% | $145,808 | $59,563 |
| 7 | Newport | 1,145 | 5.3% | $242,122 | $62,875 |
| 8 | Frederica | 1,001 | 5.1% | $339,444 | $63,200 |
| 9 | Cheswold | 1,639 | 4.5% | $180,425 | $68,083 |
| 10 | Harrington | 3,770 | 5.0% | $243,428 | $63,814 |
| 11 | Delaware City | 1,932 | 8.9% | $267,013 | $71,513 |
| 12 | Kent Acres | 2,124 | 6.8% | $306,484 | $68,162 |
| 13 | Greenwood | 1,556 | 3.7% | $237,813 | $68,418 |
| 14 | Wyoming | 1,888 | 17.9% | $285,861 | $63,398 |
| 15 | Rodney Village | 1,304 | 4.9% | $223,840 | $33,534 |
| 16 | Camden | 3,914 | 3.5% | $362,602 | $60,549 |
| 17 | Felton | 1,136 | 5.7% | $350,422 | $55,536 |
| 18 | Milton | 3,349 | 7.4% | $451,950 | $67,763 |
| 19 | Selbyville | 2,907 | 3.4% | $555,892 | $93,971 |
| 20 | Dover Base Housing | 3,262 | 4.2% | $0 | $67,174 |
| 21 | Riverview | 2,270 | 1.8% | $319,873 | $87,708 |
| 22 | Clayton | 3,978 | 2.3% | $369,829 | $98,367 |
| 23 | Bellefonte | 1,526 | 4.5% | $284,702 | $81,563 |
| 24 | Ocean View | 2,660 | 1.5% | $522,372 | $88,004 |
| 25 | Rising Sun-Lebanon | 4,060 | 1.3% | $500,177 | $78,205 |
| 26 | Millville | 2,052 | 2.3% | $526,843 | $92,961 |
| 27 | Lewes | 3,339 | 1.0% | $574,392 | $87,458 |
| 28 | Greenville | 2,824 | 3.5% | $1,145,551 | $133,614 |
| 29 | Rehoboth Beach | 1,357 | 7.0% | $755,955 | $147,273 |
| 30 | Highland Acres | 3,892 | 3.0% | $345,928 | $104,762 |
| 31 | Bethany Beach | 1,064 | 2.2% | $832,286 | $104,167 |
| 32 | Townsend | 2,728 | 2.5% | $451,746 | $147,917 |
| 33 | St. Georges | 1,304 | 3.0% | $523,540 | $161,346 |
