The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Delaware: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C-
Property Crime Grade	C-
Other Crime Grade	F

Which crimes are included?

$534.1 million

Cost of Crime™ for Delaware

In 2025, crime will cost $1,321 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Delaware with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Delaware Safe?

The D overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US state, where Delaware's combined rate is higher than the norm. Delaware sits in the 18th percentile, ahead of 18% of states and behind 82%. The grade covers only Delaware's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The overall crime rate in Delaware is 42.95 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 17 in the north cities to 1 in 35 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northwest parts of Delaware report the most crime, about 11,580 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 818 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Delaware

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Delaware for 2025 is $534,121,287, about $514 per resident and $1,321 per household. That equals 1.2% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 61.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 26.8%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.6%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Delaware Compared to Other States?

Delaware:	$514
New Mexico:	$835
New Jersey:	$240
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Delaware is $514 per year, which is $50 more than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to Delaware:

In New Mexico, crime costs $835 per person, which is $321 more than in Delaware.
In New Jersey, crime costs $240 per person, which is $274 less than in Delaware

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Delaware for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Delaware	Cost per Delaware Resident
Murder	$104.4 million	$100
Rape/Sexual Assault	$28.7 million	$28
Robbery	$18.4 million	$18
Assault	$89.0 million	$86
Kidnapping	$11.9 million	$11
Vehicle Theft	$30.3 million	$29
Burglary	$18.9 million	$18
Theft	$83.6 million	$80
Arson	$2.92 million	$3
Vandalism	$65.7 million	$63
Animal Cruelty	$10.8 million	$10
Drug Crimes	$47.2 million	$45
Identity Theft	$22.2 million	$21
Total Cost of Crime	$534,121,287	$514

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Delaware

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Delaware totals $861,622,773 ($829 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,395,744,059 ($1,343 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The northwest part of the state holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Delaware has 197, do the same, and of Delaware's 1,038,926 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Delaware at ISP Reports.

Delaware Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Delaware residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.984
Robbery	0.5623
Rape	0.4561
Murder	0.0535
Total Violent Crime	4.056 (C-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	15.53
Vehicle Theft	1.883
Burglary	2.004
Arson	0.1164
Total Property Crime	19.54 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1891
Drug Crimes	6.148
Vandalism	8.855
Identity Theft	2.762
Animal Cruelty	1.409
Total "Other" Rate	19.36 (F)

Individual Delaware Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

Compared to surrounding states, the rate of crime in Delaware is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for states close to Delaware.

Nearby State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Maryland	C	C-	C+
District of Columbia	F	F	F
New Jersey	A+	A	A-
Pennsylvania	A	A-	A-
Virginia	B-	B+	B-
New York	A-	C	B-
Connecticut	B+	A+	B
Rhode Island	A	A	A-
West Virginia	A-	B+	A
Massachusetts	A+	C+	A+

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

Delaware is higher versus other states of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Alaska	C+	F	F
Hawaii	B	A	A
Puerto Rico	F	F	F
Arizona	B-	C	C
Arkansas	D-	D-	D-
California	C	D	D
Florida	A+	A-	A-
Georgia	B-	C+	C+
Louisiana	D+	D-	D-
North Dakota	C-	B-	B-

Considering only the crime rate, Delaware is as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Delaware average SchoolGrade of D, with 27% actual proficiency versus 33% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Delaware schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.