Safety · Elsmere
Elsmere, DE crime & safety
Elsmere's reported crime rate is below Delaware's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 9 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
Crime reported to police, trends and how Elsmere compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.
TownTapestry Safety GradeNew
C+
Elsmere’s Safety Grade: C+
Elsmere reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 63% report less. Within Delaware, it does better than 61% of towns.
CViolent crimeC+Property crime▼Improving since 2023
All U.S. towns we grade (6,620)Safer than 37%
More reported crimeLess reported crime
Delaware towns we grade (31)Safer than 61%
Places of 5,000–25,000 people (2,890)Safer than 36%
Good confidence. Built on 317 incidents over 3 years. With counts this size, ordinary swings could put Elsmere anywhere from C to C+.
How the Safety Grade works
- One score, from FBI data. Property crimes + 4 × violent crimes reported to police, per resident, pooled over the FBI’s latest 3 years (2023–2025). Violent crime counts four times as much because it matters more to how safe a place feels. It’s the same score behind our Safest towns in DE ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town and city with 1,000+ residents that reported all 3 years (6,620 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Violent and property sub-grades use the same curve on each rate alone.
- Trend compares 2025 with 2023 and only says “improving” or “rising” when the change is bigger than normal year-to-year swings.
- Not graded: towns under 1,000 people, and towns missing any of the 3 years.
- What it can’t see: unreported crime, traffic safety, or which part of town incidents happen in. Towns with a campus, highway or big shopping center count incidents involving visitors. It’s our own summary of public data, not an official rating.
Reported crime, 2025
Elsmere at a glance
Violent crime
1.4
per 1,000 residents · Delaware 3.5
Property crime
9.6
per 1,000 residents · Delaware 15.8
Incidents reported
69
9 violent · 60 property
Since 2022
▼ 40%
change in reported property crime
Violent crime per 1,000
Property crime per 1,000
Trend
Reported crime per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025
ElsmereDelaware
Solid lines: property crime · dashed: violent crime.
Show as a table
| Year | Elsmere property | Delaware property | Elsmere violent | Delaware violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16 | 19.9 | 1 | 3.9 |
| 2023 | 16.3 | 19.6 | 3.9 | 4 |
| 2024 | 17.8 | 17.7 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| 2025 | 9.6 | 15.8 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
What gets reported
2025, by type
Larceny / theft
33
Burglary
8
Vehicle theft
19
Aggravated assault
7
Robbery
2
Rape
0
Homicide
0
Arson
0
Offenses reported to police, not convictions.
Who keeps Elsmere safe
Local public safety
👮 Elsmere Police DepartmentReports its crime counts to the FBI — the figures on this page.
🚨 EmergenciesCall 911. For non-emergency numbers, alerts and preparedness, see the town guide.
Nearby
Elsmere and its neighbors
Reported crime per 1,000 residents in each town's latest year. * = a count, for towns under 1,000 people. Grade: the Safety Grade; — = not graded.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elsmere | C+ | 1.4 | 9.6 | 2025 |
| Wilmington | D- | 11.5 | 28.8 | 2025 |
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can't tell you
- It's reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many thefts and some assaults are never reported.
- Small numbers swing. In a town of about 6,200, a handful of incidents moves the rate noticeably from year to year. The trend matters more than any one year.
- Visitors count too. Towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center see incidents involving people who don't live there, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn't report a full year, not that nothing happened.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. This isn't an official statement of public safety — in an emergency, call 911.