Photo: Lee Cannon from Bayville aka West Fenwick, DE, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Dagsboro run?
Dagsboro’s town government spent $327,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $342 per resident. Water and other utilities ($62,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dagsboro is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Indian River School District
Dagsboro’s K–12 school district, shared with Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Frankford, Georgetown, Millsboro and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,516 per pupil, $11,486 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Delaware districts overall: 32% local, 57% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $342 per resident a year, or $0.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 87%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$342 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dagsboro’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($342 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $576, and the middle half spent $289–$2,349. Dagsboro spent less than 61% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dagsboro itself left out).
No trend yet
Dagsboro reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,308 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.41% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dagsboro’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Dagsboro’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dagsboro →
Who’s in charge in Dagsboro
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dagsboro’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofdagsboro.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 159 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (955).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Dagsboro’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dagsboro alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sussex County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.9%81,025 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.9%64,836 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,778 votes).
Most votes in Sussex County: Donald J Trump
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Dagsboro lies in Sussex County. Every 2024 race in Sussex County is on the county’s page.
Sussex County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Dagsboro.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofdagsboro.com ↗
- 2Delaware HouseState representatives
- 3Delaware SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Delaware
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dagsboro compares with the towns next door
Dagsboro spent $342 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $254. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Frankford | $254 | $949 |
| Dagsboro | $342 | $1,308 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Dagsboro’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dagsboro’s government
How much does Dagsboro spend per resident?
About $342 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $342 was less than 61% of 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dagsboro?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,308 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofdagsboro.com.
Who runs Dagsboro’s government?
See townofdagsboro.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dagsboro yet.
How did Dagsboro vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dagsboro alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Dagsboro lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dagsboro?
6 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $35,125 (about $421,500 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dagsboro in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Gerald Hocker) and State House District 41 (Rich Collins). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dagsboro’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →