Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety56#404/924
Economy80#189/925
Housing31#641/925
Health74#245/925
Healthcare53#433/923
Environment77#212/917
Education56#406/925
Infrastructure58#385/925
Community50#465/925
Leisure & amenities87#121/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Seaford, DE micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

New homes permitted · high13.1 /1k
98/100Delaware 6.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · low0.31%
97/100Delaware 0.54%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New business applications · high24.8 /1k
97/100Delaware 56.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · low20.7%
93/100Delaware 22.3%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · low11.4 /100k
93/100Delaware 12.1 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high53.0%
93/100Delaware 53.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Dentists · low22 /100k
2/100Delaware 46 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high27.3 min
11/100Delaware 26.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Access to exercise opportunities · low54.8%
12/100Delaware 78.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · high4.7×
16/100Delaware 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent-burdened households · high53.5%
17/100Delaware 49.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high31.6%
19/100Delaware 29.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Trends

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

PopulationRising
238,627 (2020) → 277,140 (2025)
+16%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 57% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+57 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.1% (2015-2019) → 91.5% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
40.4 /100k (2021) → 19.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−51%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesWorsening
64.3% (2010 & 2021) → 54.8% (2022 & 2024)
−9.5 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

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, Seaford, DE micropolitan area improved on 16 of 23 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 0 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Bachelor's++4.7 points28.3% → 33.0%
Overdose deaths−61%49.9 /100k → 19.7 /100k
Suicides−15%13.4 /100k → 11.4 /100k
Arts & recreation+25%4.7 /10k → 5.8 /10k
Traffic deaths−14%17.5 /100k → 15.0 /100k

Declined4

Libraries−13%0.6 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Rent burden+3.5 points50.0% → 53.5%
Pharmacies−14%2.6 /10k → 2.2 /10k
Airport+12 mi67 mi → 78 mi

All 23 measures

Change of every measure of Seaford, DE micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.7 /10k2020	5.8 /10k2025	+25%	Improved	81%
Average commute time	26.4 min2015-2019	27.3 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Little change	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.3%2015-2019	33.0%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	66%
Distance to an airport	67 mi2020	78 mi2025	+12 mi	Declined	2%
Drug overdose deaths	49.9 /100k2020	19.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−61%	Improved	90%
Firearm deaths	10.9 /100k2020	10.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−6.4%	Improved	60%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+9.1%	Improved	76%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+5.8%	Improved	54%
High school diploma or higher	88.1%2015-2019	90.2%2020-2024	+2 points	Improved	61%
Homicide rate	4.6 /100k2020	3.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−35%	Improved	62%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,3182019	$73,7882024	+33%	Improved	62%
New business applications	17.3 /1k2020	24.8 /1k2025	+44%	Improved	46%
Pharmacies	2.6 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	−14%	Declined	35%
Property crime rate	1,589 /100k2020	1,100 /100k2025	−31%	Improved	44%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−13%	Declined	8%
Public transit commuters	0.4%2015-2019	0.5%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Little change	89%
Rent-burdened households	50.0%2015-2019	53.5%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Declined	28%
Restaurants and bars	14.0 /10k2020	13.7 /10k2025	−2%	Little change	36%
Suicide rate	13.4 /100k2020	11.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−15%	Improved	82%
Traffic deaths	17.5 /100k2015-2019	15.0 /100k2020-2024	−14%	Improved	82%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2020	4.7%2025	−2.5 points	Improved	35%
Violent crime rate	326 /100k2020	282 /100k2025	−14%	Improved	46%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Seaford, DE micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Seaford, DE micropolitan area 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, Seaford, DE micropolitan area itself moved +2.4 points in standing on average over the same 22 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

255,626 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59

Income

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

Household income

106,441 households (±1,143)

Seaford, DE micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k12%12,848
$25k–50k18%18,988
$50k–75k16%17,066
$75k–100k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

106,441 households (±1,143)

Seaford, DE micropolitan area
United States share

Own82%86,851
Rent18%19,590

Table view

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

108,195 workers (±1,365)

Seaford, DE micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone75%81,593
Carpool8.0%8,689
Public transit0.5%†494

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 no occupation wages for Seaford, DE micropolitan area.

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.

Seaford, DE has 6,411 employer establishments, 243 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248), with 78,541 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,039. The Census Bureau also counts 24,311 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,411; 24,311 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 243; US 248
Paid employees: 78,541
Average annual pay: $51,039; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	585	22.2	1.21×About typical	10,901	$29,176	85
Ambulatory health care services	449	17	0.82×About typical	5,355	$79,906	956
Specialty trade contractors	448	17	1.10×About typical	3,696	$60,190	1,911
Full-service restaurants	317	12	1.56×More than typical	7,405	$31,580	30
Lessors of real estate	314	11.9	0.97×About typical	1,562	$51,786	3,540
Construction of buildings	269	10.2	1.35×More than typical	1,645	$73,047	904
Services to buildings and dwellings	266	10.1	1.49×More than typical	2,899	$42,768	1,627
Limited-service restaurants	195	7.4	0.92×About typical	2,787	$22,921	43
Management, scientific and technical consulting	187	7.1	1.06×About typical	474	$96,042	1,118
Building equipment contractors	181	6.9	1.14×About typical	1,826	$61,859	379
Clothing and accessories stores	181	6.9	1.89×More than typical	1,609	$25,639	197
Offices of physicians	173	6.6	1.01×About typical	2,195	$102,278	187

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 264,046 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $19.5M on contracts performed in Seaford, DE micropolitan area: $70.36 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $19.5M; −54% vs FY2025
Per resident: $70.36; US $1,994
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.0%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$18.3M94%
Defense Logistics Agency$914.5K4.7%
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$193.5K1.0%
Bureau of the Fiscal Service$158.9K0.8%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$109.7K0.6%
U.S. Coast Guard$89.8K0.5%
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$4,0520.0%

Top recipients

AQUIA NAVA II LLC$14.6M75%
GREENLEAF SERVICES INC$2.7M14%
HARBOR DE SNF MANAGEMENT, LLC$697.5K3.6%
FIRST STATE MANUFACTURING INC$410.2K2.1%
PENINSULA HEALTHCARE SERVICES LLC$309.9K1.6%

Spending by fiscal year

33.6MFY2017
11.4MFY2018
13.9MFY2019
83MFY2020
31.8MFY2021
6.1MFY2022
43.9MFY2023
10.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$14.6M75%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2.7M14%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$1M5.2%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$698.1K3.6%
Special food services · 7223$238.8K1.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

Largest awards

SPRUCE 0007 - DISABILITY BENEFITS CREW IS TO SUPPORT, MAINTAIN, AND IMPROVE ON THE DIGITIZED VA FORM 21-526EZ (DISABILITY FORM) AND ITS ASSOCIATED FEATURES$24M
AQUIA NAVA II LLC· Sussex County, DE· IT & telecom· Mar 21, 2025 – Apr 17, 2026· 36C10B25N00020002
FY2025 INDIAN RIVER INLET BEACH NOURISHMENT, INDIAN RIVER INLET, DELAWARE$8.1M
GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK CO, LLC· Sussex County, DE· Construction & real property· Aug 5, 2025 – Mar 9, 2026· W912BU25CA014
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SPRUCE TO 36C10B25N00020003 IS FOR THE NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INSTITUTE (NAII) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) SOLUTION TECHNICAL CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT & SUPPORT$5.4M
AQUIA NAVA II LLC· Sussex County, DE· IT & telecom· Sep 29, 2025 – Aug 27, 2026· 36C10B25N00020003

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.7B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Seaford, DE micropolitan area: $9,882 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.7B; +0.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,882; US $12,955
Loan face value: $103.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$2.1B77%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$153.4M5.6%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$144.4M5.3%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$107.6M3.9%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$56.7M2.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$28.2M1.0%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$17.4M0.6%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$17.4M0.6%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION, DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF$118.9M4.3%
DOVER, DE
SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL$7.3M0.3%
GEORGETOWN, DE
LA RED HEALTH CENTER, INC.$4.4M0.2%
GEORGETOWN, DE
IMPACT LIFE INC.$1.3M0.0%
NEWARK, DE
STATE OF DELAWARE$1.2M0.0%

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$2.4B87%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$173.2M6.3%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$119.1M4.3%
Department of Transportation
Railroad Retirement Board$17.4M0.6%
Natural Resources Conservation Service$10.9M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.9BFY2021
2BFY2022
2.3BFY2023
2.5BFY2024
2.7BFY2025
2.7BFY2026

County aggregates

94%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Seaford, DE

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Sussex CountyCentral county65277,140

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

SeafordPrincipal city8,485

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Delaware

Areas based in Delaware, best score first.

Dover, DE38

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M42580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Seaford, DE micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Seaford, DE

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Delaware

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought