Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 28/100
F
Median home value$231,400
Philadelphia $351,900
Median rent$1,224/mo
Philadelphia $1,480/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
Philadelphia 32%
Wilmington
New Castle County71,727 residents3 school districts
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
29th of 50 Philadelphia suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
54
Philadelphia median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Wilmington yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Wilmington is like to live in, by category
Bars show Wilmington against Philadelphia. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 54/100
C−
Within-state proficiency38th pct
Philadelphia median 48th pct
Student–teacher ratio12.5
Philadelphia median 13.0
Graduation rate84%
Philadelphia median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 85/100
A−
Housing cost index78
Philadelphia 100
Eff. tax rate0.81%
Philadelphia 1.37%
Local sales tax0.00%
Philadelphia median 6.34%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Mean commute23.5 min
Philadelphia 28.7 min
Under 30 minutes72%
Philadelphia 56%
Transit stops / sq mi0.6
Philadelphia median 0.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 67/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés54
Philadelphia median 53 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Philadelphia median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks79
Philadelphia median 41 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 33/100
F
Median household income$58,671
Philadelphia $91,289
Unemployment7.3%
Philadelphia 5.9%
Professional occupations42%
Philadelphia 49%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Wilmington yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Wilmington on housing & affordability
Wilmington's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Hockessin9 mi from WilmingtonA 71 B− Bala Cynwyd25 mi from WilmingtonB− 75 B Broomall19 mi from WilmingtonB− 71 B− Glasgow15 mi from WilmingtonC+ 57 C− Middletown22 mi from WilmingtonC 63 C+ Ardmore22 mi from WilmingtonC 74 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Wilmington
Is Wilmington, DE a good place to live?
Wilmington scores 54 out of 100, 29th of 50 Philadelphia suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Wilmington expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A−. The median home is $231,400, 34% below the Philadelphia median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.81%. $1,224/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Wilmington?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Wilmington sit at the 38th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 84% graduation rate and a 12.5 student–teacher ratio. Wilmington is served by Colonial School District, Red Clay Consolidated School District and Christina School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Wilmington?
The mean commute is 23.5 min, with 72% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Wilmington?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 54 restaurants and cafés and 79 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Wilmington old or new?
The median home in Wilmington was built in 1946 — older than the Philadelphia median of 1966. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 63% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.