Wilmington, DE: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Wilmington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It lies at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. The population was 70,898 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. First settled by Swedish settlers in 1638, the modern city of Wilmington was built on the site of Fort Christina, which was the first Swedish settlement in North America, and Kristinehamn, which was planned to be the capital of New Sweden. Control of the area shifted before it was formally incorporated as the Village of Willingtown in 1731, then …

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Wilmington ranks

All →

#5Most affordable in DE #8Cheapest rent in DE #12Shortest commute in DE All DE rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code19801, 19802, 19803

Area code302

Living in Wilmington

Housing in Wilmington

$330K▲ 1.5% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Wilmington home is worth about $330,000, up 1.5% in a year, 19% below the Delaware typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market45

Sale-to-list97.4%

Sold in May78

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Wilmington

D⁻

Safety Grade D-

Wilmington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Wilmington 11.5

Delaware 3.5

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Wilmington 28.8

Delaware 15.8

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Wilmington

All Wilmington schools →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Wilmington’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 56% of Delaware’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

See how Wilmington’s schools compare in DE →

DistrictRed Clay Consolidated School DistrictSchools34

First State Montessori Academy AElementary · Grades K–8 · 657 students Maurice Pritchett SR. Academy D-Elementary · Grades 1–8 · 616 students Kuumba Academy Charter School C-Elementary · Grades K–8 · 594 students The Bayard School D-Elementary · Grades 1–8 · 571 students Edison (Thomas A.) Charter School DElementary · Grades K–8 · 557 students East Side Charter School C+Elementary · Grades K–8 · 434 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within DE. Ratings are from neighbors.