Seaford, DE

Micro Area Profile

255,626 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Seaford, DE micropolitan area.

62out of 100
Area Score
Top 31% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
OpportunityTop 49% of 835 metro and micro areas measured51
GrowthTop 15% of 834 metro and micro areas measured72
Housing affordability737th of 835 metro and micro areas measured55
ClimateTop 13% of 835 metro and micro areas measured77
Physical resilienceTop 48% of 835 metro and micro areas measured57
AccessTop 36% of 835 metro and micro areas measured84
Economic stabilityTop 31% of 835 metro and micro areas measured67
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.3% and median household income $81,497, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Residential permitting has slowed: 3,574 units authorized over the past twelve months, 18% below the prior year.

Rent takes 32% of renter income here, at or above the threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, while buying strains owner incomes less — the median home is 4.3 times what its owners earn, against a historic benchmark near three.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
255,626
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$81,497
Top 16% nationally
Density
273/sq mi
936.1 sq mi of land
Median age
51.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Delaware
Nearest major airport
DOV
32 mi · Dover AFB
Median home value
$382,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.3% — higher than in all but 45% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 2.8% over the past year, to 118,768 employed residents.

33% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 76% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$1,5122024 ACS 5-Year$81,497Top 16%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,0392024 ACS 5-Year$46,684Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year10.6%Top 28%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year28.7 minBottom 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year33.0%Top 24%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year75.4%36th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 2026118,768Top 23%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−0.4%Bottom 48%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−2.8%Bottom 13%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 2026124,15777th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year76.2%Bottom 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%59th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.1%Bottom 44%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.3%Bottom 45%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year13.4%83rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.83.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.3% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

44% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 54% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.6 students for every full-time teacher across 45 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
51
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.6
across 45 of them
Math proficiency
44.1%
2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency
53.6%
2018-19 school year
The 12 largest of 51 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Sussex Central High SchoolIndian River School District2,01215.421%33%
Cape Henlopen High SchoolCape Henlopen School District1,88915.133%57%
Sussex Technical High SchoolSussex Technical School District1,34115.444%65%
Sussex Academy · charterSussex Academy1,18220.078%93%
Laurel Elementary SchoolLaurel School District1,14518.837%42%
Indian River High SchoolIndian River School District1,07313.235%54%
Seaford Senior High SchoolSeaford School District96021.38%22%
Georgetown Middle SchoolIndian River School District86114.655%64%
Georgetown Elementary SchoolIndian River School District82513.850%48%
East Millsboro Elementary SchoolIndian River School District82016.170%64%
Seaford Middle SchoolSeaford School District80016.327%46%
Selbyville Middle SchoolIndian River School District77014.550%67%

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Delaware’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,222 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.32% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,399, some 13% above the $1,238 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,399 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $56,000 a year, about 69% of the median household income here of $81,497.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,238 a month.

A median home at $382,600 costs 4.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $89,792, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
31.6%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,399
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,238
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$382,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Seaford’s median household income of $81,497, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year4.3Bottom 12%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year81.6%98th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1152024 ACS 5-Year151,79983rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,066Bottom 29%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,757Bottom 25%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,399Bottom 22%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$422024 ACS 5-Year$1,238Bottom 20%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,9862024 ACS 5-Year$382,60087th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$232024 ACS 5-Year$1,22222nd percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$1,9672024 ACS 5-Year$89,792Top 30%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.01%2024 ACS 5-Year0.32%2nd percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year31.6%Bottom 19%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1,0402024 ACS 5-Year38,22399th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year25.2%98th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.7%13th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1,1102024 ACS 5-Year45,35894th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

72/ 100
Top 15% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 14% since 2020, reaching 271,134 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 271,134 residents in 2024, up 2.7% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 3,574 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 8% are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 14.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
3,574
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
14.0
Top 2% nationally
Year over year
−18%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
8.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024271k239k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 29°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 43.9 inches.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station GEORGETOWN SUSSEX CO AP, 1.6 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.5"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals43.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals29°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals42°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

57 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 36% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Coastal floodingHigh
HurricaneElevated
Heat waveModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, winter weather, inland flooding, drought, strong wind, wildfire, ice storm, earthquake, tornado, hail, landslide, volcanic activity, tsunami, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Dover AFB at 32 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year91.5%Top 20%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle32 miTop 37%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Top 43%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year6.7%Top 29%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Dover AFBDOV32 mi9,602 ft
Atlantic City IntlACY68 mi10,001 ft
Baltimore/Washington Intl Thurgood MarshallBWI80 mi10,503 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
62
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

Cities in this metro