Delaware’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Delaware's violent crime and property crime rates increased year over year. With rising crime rates, it's not surprising that compared to the average American, Delaware residents are more likely to think crime is increasing and less likely to feel safe in their state. But it's not all bad news—Delware's property crime rate fell below the national average this year.

Delaware’s property crime rate of 20.5 is just slightly lower than the national average of 20.7 but still the nineteenth-highest in the nation. Conversely, Delaware's violent crime rate of 4.5 is higher than the national average of 4.0, making it the seventeenth-highest in the nation. Only 3% of Delaware residents told us they believe crime is decreasing in general, and 3 in 4 think crime is on the rise overall.

Delaware’s property crime rate fell below the national average this year (by 1%), and the safest cities in Delaware have a collective property crime rate (18.1) that's 12% below the nationwide average of 20.7 incidents per 1,000 people. With that said, The First State saw a 42% decrease in reported experience with property crime year over year. 

In contrast, our State of Safety survey results show a 14% increase in concern about property crime and nearly three in ten respondents increased their security measures.

• Larceny-theft represents 81% of all property crime in Delaware—12% more than the national average of 72%. 
• Burglary is reported less often in Delaware than the rest of the country, making up 10% of all crime in the state compared to 13% nationwide.
• Of the Delawareans who use property protection (77%), most prefer security cameras (38%) or guard dogs (29%).
• Concern about package theft rose from 54% to 55% year over year, but those who claimed an experience with package theft dropped 10 percentage points from 36% to 26%.
• Of the Delaware residents who use some form of package theft prevention (77%), most prefer doorbell cameras (32%), with delivery tracking or verification used second-most often (23%).

Delaware saw a 7% increase in violent crime year over year. Its violent crime rate of 4.5 is 14% higher than the national average of 4.0 incidents per 1,000 people. But Delaware's five safest cities have a collective violent crime rate (2.2) that's 52% below the national rate.

In our State of Safety survey, Delaware residents reported experiencing more worry about violent crime year over year even though they claimed fewer personal experiences with it.  

• Nearly six out of 10 (57%) Delaware respondents said they're highly concerned about violent crime.
• 14% claimed to have experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey which is one percentage point lower than the national average and 26% lower than last year.
• Rape accounts for 5% of all violent crime in Delaware, which is one of the lowest percentages in the nation. The national average is 11%. 
• Aggravated assault decreased year over year, from 77% of all violent crime to 68% (US 71%).
• 28% of survey respondents said they increased security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey.
• Of the 29% (down from 41%) of Delaware residents who use some form of personal protection, most prefer pepper spray (45%)

• More than 6 in 10 (62%) Delaware residents are concerned about gun violence (51% US).
• 15% experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey (12% US).
• Delawareans' reported gun violence experiences decreased 20% year over year—from 15% to 12%, matching the national average.
• 1 mass shooting event occurred in Delaware during 2023, dropping from 2 incidents in 2022.
• Of the Delawareans who use some form of personal protection, 14% use a concealed firearm (41% US).

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 17 Delaware cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
• After three years, Clayton fell to second place, giving Milton an opening to claim the top spot. 
• Each of Delaware’s 5 safest cities saw a drop in violent crime year over year, but none reported 0 violent crimes.
• 3 of Delaware's safest cities experienced a decreased property crime rate: Milton, Lewes, and Elsmere.
• All 5 cities reported 0 murders.
• Except for Newark, with 84, every city reported fewer than 10 violent crimes.
• Newark's population is at least 26,000 more than any other safest city, a testament to its stellar work keeping crime down per capita.

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Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.