Town · New Castle County, Delaware

Elsmere, Delaware

Elsmere is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. It has 6,203 residents. Elsmere, Delaware has a quality-of-life score of 48 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,064 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Delaware it ranks #37 of 55 cities and towns. It ranks best on new business applications (high), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and pharmacies (high). It ranks worst on new homes permitted (low), drug overdose deaths (high) and poverty rate (high).

48Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,064 of 15,651 cities and towns
Delaware: #37 of 55 in DE
Population: 6,203 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 6,287.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 1024540

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety24#11,913/15,637
Economy43#8,968/15,631
Housing29#10,605/14,977
Health41#9,209/15,609
Healthcare70#4,641/15,650
Environment56#6,827/15,453
Education20#12,491/15,649
Infrastructure70#4,624/15,650
Community64#5,648/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,376/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Elsmere, Delaware ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “New Castle County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New business applications · high48.3 /1k
99/100Delaware 56.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauNew Castle County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
94/100Delaware 26 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauNew Castle County value
Pharmacies · high2.6 /10k
91/100Delaware 2.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNew Castle County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.0 /10k
91/100Delaware 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNew Castle County value
Flu vaccinations · high54.0%
90/100Delaware 53.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNew Castle County value
Average weekly wage · high$1,615
90/100Delaware $1,455United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNew Castle County value

Weaknesses

New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Delaware 6.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Drug overdose deaths · high27.5 /100k
14/100Delaware 26.3 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNew Castle County value
Poverty rate · high23.0%
14/100Delaware 10.1%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Child poverty rate · high35.0%
17/100Delaware 14.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Physical inactivity · high31.5%
17/100Delaware 25.2%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
17/100Delaware 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesNew Castle County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.3% (2015-2019) → 95.4% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
56.0% (2015-2019) → 67.4% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
23.7% (2015-2019) → 35.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
22.8% (2015-2019) → 15.1% (2020-2024)
−7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateWorsening
15.5% (2015-2019) → 23.1% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
81.8% (2015-2019) → 78.4% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Elsmere, Delaware improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+15 points80.3% → 95.4%

Declined1

Bachelor's+−7.7 points22.8% → 15.1%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Elsmere, Delaware between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.0 min2015-2019	24.4 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	55%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.8%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−7.7 points	Declined	3%
Broadband subscriptions	80.3%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	23.7%2015-2019	35.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Effective property tax rate	0.86%2015-2019	0.83%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	21%
High school diploma or higher	81.8%2015-2019	78.4%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	50%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4792015-2019	0.4182020-2024	−0.061	Within the margin of error	88%
Median household income	$61,2752015-2019	$67,9442020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%
Poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Rent as share of income	34.7%2015-2019	37.9%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Rent-burdened households	56.0%2015-2019	67.4%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2015-2019	4.8%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.5%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	33%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Elsmere, Delaware five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Elsmere, Delaware in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Elsmere, Delaware itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,203 residents (±24)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,238 households (±218)

Elsmere, Delaware
Delaware share

Under $25k17%†377
$25k–50k23%†521
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,238 households (±218)

Elsmere, Delaware
Delaware share

Own66%1,471
Rent34%767

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,852 workers (±326)

Elsmere, Delaware
Delaware share

Drive alone80%2,279
Carpool5.6%†161
Public transit3.1%†88

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of New Castle County, the county holding most of Elsmere's residents.

New Castle County has 17,855 employer establishments, 307 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.07× Delaware's), with 306,745 paid employees at an average annual pay of $81,219. The Census Bureau also counts 55,018 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 17,855; 55,018 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 307; US 248 · Delaware 287
Paid employees: 306,745
Average annual pay: $81,219; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of New Castle County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,213	20.9	1.00×About typical	17,633	$71,552	2,336
Restaurants and other eating places	1,096	18.9	1.03×About typical	21,666	$22,697	257
Specialty trade contractors	924	15.9	1.03×About typical	11,380	$72,979	2,090
Computer systems design and related services	890	15.3	3.54×More than typical	7,804	$132,387	1,742
Lessors of real estate	704	12.1	0.98×About typical	3,076	$72,782	7,189
Management, scientific and technical consulting	651	11.2	1.67×More than typical	4,536	$103,001	2,355
Limited-service restaurants	513	8.8	1.10×About typical	8,278	$19,564	123
Services to buildings and dwellings	462	8	1.18×About typical	4,118	$38,969	1,797
Full-service restaurants	448	7.7	1.00×About typical	11,706	$25,471	102
Construction of buildings	400	6.9	0.91×About typical	2,448	$83,536	809
Legal services	376	6.5	1.20×About typical	6,200	$154,078	373
Offices of other health practitioners	373	6.4	1.06×About typical	3,129	$52,335	1,141

Rank places for an industry Open New Castle County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 581,067 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $2.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Elsmere, Delaware: $440 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.7M; +20% vs FY2025
Per resident: $440; US $1,994
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 14%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$2.7M98%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$62.4K2.3%
Defense Logistics Agency$1,3940.1%
Drug Enforcement Administration$51.770.0%

Top recipients

MGI, INC.$815.3K30%
SENATE BUILDERS & CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS, INC.$202.4K7.4%
GC JOINT VENTURE$196.7K7.2%
SDV OFFICE SYSTEMS LLC$89.3K3.3%
OLYMPUS AMERICA INC$72.4K2.7%

Spending by fiscal year

2.1MFY2017
2.1MFY2018
4.1MFY2019
5.3MFY2020
1.7MFY2021
2MFY2022
3.2MFY2023
3.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Building equipment contractors · 2382$1M37%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$333.2K12%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$215.8K7.9%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$122.6K4.5%
Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing · 3372$114.5K4.2%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Elsmere, Delaware, so they do not add up across cities.

Elsmere, Delaware's figures are part of those of New Castle County, DE ($91.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 3.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Elsmere is mostly in New Castle County.

See federal money in New Castle County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Elsmere, Delaware is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Sarah McBrideD-DE · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

New Castle County75100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD73

Other cities and towns in New Castle County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1024540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends