Scores by category

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

Safety34#10,331/15,637
Economy67#5,113/15,631
Housing72#4,187/14,977
Health43#8,852/15,609
Healthcare61#6,154/15,650
Environment81#2,919/15,453
Education41#9,267/15,649
Infrastructure53#7,370/15,650
Community16#13,081/15,651
Leisure & amenities44#8,748/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Delmar, Maryland ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Wicomico 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

Job growth · high3.3%
95/100Maryland -1.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataWicomico County value
Broadband subscriptions · high97.1%
93/100Maryland 92.4%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
New homes permitted · high9.4 /1k
87/100Maryland 2.1 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Preventable hospital stays · low1,970 /100k
86/100Maryland 2,655 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWicomico County value
Public EV charging ports · high9.9 /10k
81/100Maryland 8.9 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWicomico County value
Mental health providers · high449 /100k
81/100Maryland 394 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWicomico County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high80 mi
15/100Maryland 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWicomico County value
Distance to an airport · high80 mi
17/100Maryland 21 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWicomico County value
Dental care shortage · high16.0
18/100Maryland 5.0United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWicomico County value
Average commute time · high25.0 min
19/100Maryland 31.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care shortage · high15.0
21/100Maryland 7.1United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWicomico County value
Drought exposure · high71%
22/100Maryland 64%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWicomico County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,214 (2015-2019) → 4,261 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.0% (2015-2019) → 97.1% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
48.4% (2015-2019) → 35.8% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
19.5 /1k (2021) → 9.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$60,301 (2015-2019) → $85,174 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
12.3% (2015-2019) → 4.1% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Delmar, Maryland improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved2

Household income+41%$60,301 → $85,174
Broadband+13 points84.0% → 97.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Delmar, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.4 min2015-2019	25.0 min2020-2024	+2.6 min	Within the margin of error	23%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.4%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	84.0%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	73%
Effective property tax rate	1.24%2015-2019	1.06%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	54%
High school diploma or higher	83.3%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3922015-2019	0.4052020-2024	+0.013	Within the margin of error	40%
Median household income	$60,3012015-2019	$85,1742020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	10.0%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	48.4%2015-2019	35.8%2020-2024	−13 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.4%2015-2019	6.8%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	74%

“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 Delmar, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Delmar, Maryland 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, Delmar, Maryland itself moved +8.8 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

4,261 residents (±31)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+9.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,261 residents (±31)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

White57%2,436
Black28%†1,209
Hispanic or Latino9.4%†399

Education

2,548 residents (±320)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

No high school diploma9.6%†244
High school or GED26%†674
Some college22%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,802 households (±205)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k9.4%†170
$25k–50k17%†305
$50k–75k14%†246
$75k–100k24%†441
$100k–150k19%†350
$150k–200k7.0%†126
$200k or more9.1%†164

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−15.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,802 households (±205)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Own53%955
Rent47%†847

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

847 households (±282)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $7505.5%†47
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50033%†281

Home values

955 homes (±245)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $150k11%†108
$150k–250k52%†499
$250k–400k31%†292

Age of homes

1,942 homes (±231)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

2010 or later31%†598
2000–200936%†696
1980–19998.3%†162

Size of homes

1,942 homes (±231)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Studio0.5%†10
1 bedroom8.1%†158
2 bedrooms26%†504

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,644 workers (±295)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone91%2,401
Carpool2.3%†62
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike1.2%†32
Work from home5.1%†136
Other0.5%†13

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,508 workers (±302)

Delmar, Maryland
Maryland share

Under 15 min19%†484
15–29 min53%1,317
30–44 min7.1%†179

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Salisbury, 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 Wicomico County, the county holding most of Delmar's residents.

Wicomico County has 2,495 employer establishments, 235 for every 10,000 residents (0.95× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Maryland's), with 35,249 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,307. The Census Bureau also counts 8,381 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,495; 8,381 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 235; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 35,249
Average annual pay: $52,307; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	229	21.6	1.04×About typical	2,919	$79,763	384
Restaurants and other eating places	179	16.9	0.92×About typical	3,525	$20,792	33
Specialty trade contractors	176	16.6	1.07×About typical	1,346	$54,804	598
Lessors of real estate	128	12.1	0.98×About typical	384	$44,828	826
Limited-service restaurants	90	8.5	1.06×About typical	1,677	$19,079	13
Services to buildings and dwellings	81	7.6	1.13×About typical	578	$39,285	740
Construction of buildings	75	7.1	0.94×About typical	301	$69,282	293
Offices of physicians	73	6.9	1.06×About typical	1,289	$111,095	59
Full-service restaurants	70	6.6	0.86×About typical	1,591	$22,532	17
Religious organizations	67	6.3	1.14×About typical	407	$22,452	—
Offices of other health practitioners	65	6.1	1.01×About typical	316	$49,715	159
Building equipment contractors	60	5.7	0.94×About typical	586	$59,078	112

Rank places for an industry Open Wicomico County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 106,024 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 $382 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Delmar, Maryland: $0.09 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $382
Per resident: $0.09; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$382100%

Top recipients

JAMES RIVER EQUIPMENT, INC.$382100%

Spending by fiscal year

1.9KFY2017
707.1FY2018
2.8KFY2023
2.7KFY2024
381.9FY2026

What was bought

Equipment maintenance$382100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113$382100%

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 Delmar, Maryland, so they do not add up across cities.

Delmar, Maryland's figures are part of those of Wicomico County, MD ($4.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Wicomico 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.

Delmar, Maryland is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Andy HarrisR-MD-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 2.7%

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.

Wicomico County52100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Salisbury, MD40

Other cities and towns in Wicomico 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/2422600