Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island · Photo: Michael Swanda, U.S. Army Corps of Enginers · Public domainDelaware City sees less property crime than most U.S. towns, but more violence
Violence and property crime split as 3.0 violent crimes and 6.1 incidents of property crime per 1,000 residents a year, beside 6.7 and 29.4 in the rest of Delaware State. On top of that, its letter overall is B−: close to the middle of U.S. towns, from crimes its police reported through 2023 to 2025.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of DE” is every other Delaware State city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What’s behind Delaware City’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Property crime holds Delaware City’s grade up; violent crime pulls it down. Its violent rate (3.0) is below the FBI’s national estimate (3.6) but higher than in most individual towns: the national figure is weighted by people, and the grade counts towns.
Violent crime, by year and by type
Show as a table
| Year | Delaware City | Rest of Delaware State | U.S. (FBI national estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1.1 | 7.1 | 4.0 |
| 2023 | 3.2 | 6.8 | 3.9 |
| 2024 | 1.6 | 6.9 | 3.6 |
| 2025 | 4.1 | 6.3 | 3.3 |
Violent crimes per 1,000 residents
By type 2023–2025, counts
Delaware City’s police reported 17 violent crimes to the FBI over 2023–2025, about 3.0 per 1,000 residents a year, against 6.7 in the rest of Delaware State and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
Crime in Delaware City per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 4 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
Reported crime is steady
Show as a table
| Year | Delaware City property | Rest of Delaware State property | Delaware City violent | Rest of Delaware State violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9.6 | 30.7 | 1.1 | 7.1 |
| 2023 | 6.3 | 29.9 | 3.2 | 6.8 |
| 2024 | 5.8 | 30.8 | 1.6 | 6.9 |
| 2025 | 6.2 | 27.5 | 4.1 | 6.3 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident was steady from 2023 to 2025: the change is within ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against the rest of Delaware State.
20 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
8 violent and 12 property, as reported to the FBI by Delaware City’s police.
One person died in crashes on Delaware City’s roads in 2019–2023
Delaware City had 1 fatal crash in five years, in which one person died.
That is about what is typical for Delaware State towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (5.3 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Delaware City’s size would see about 1 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Delaware City’s own rate (10.3) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Delaware City and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware City | B− | 3.0 | 6.1 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Delaware State towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware City | B− | 3.0 | 6.1 |
| Wyoming | C+ | 3.6 | 6.5 |
| Cheswold | C+ | 3.8 | 6.6 |
| Felton | C | 2.2 | 18.9 |
| Delmar | C− | 5.4 | 20.2 |
| Blades | C− | 5.7 | 19.0 |
The five graded Delaware State towns closest to Delaware City’s population (1,939), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of Delaware City. A town-wide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of town to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against Delaware City’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (1,946 in 2025); our figure for Delaware City is 1,939 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Delaware City
Is Delaware City, DE safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, Delaware City reports less crime per resident than 52% of U.S. towns, a B− Safety Grade. Its police reported 3.0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 6.7 in the rest of Delaware State and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in Delaware City?
3.0 violent and 6.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of Delaware State reports 6.7 and 29.4; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
Who polices Delaware City?
Delaware City’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “Delaware City”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Delaware City.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.