Photo: Kej605 · CC BY-SA 3.0Dewey Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Dewey Beach’s town government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2023, about $10,417 per resident.
What stands out about how Dewey Beach is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$5,019 per resident in 2022: more than 87% of them
Dewey Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,019 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 $498, and the middle half spent $289–$1,318. Dewey Beach spent more than 87% 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; Dewey Beach itself left out).
About $10,417 per resident a year, or $28.54 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 56%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 88% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dewey Beach reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $5,019 · 2023: $10,417. Per resident it went from $5,019 to $10,417 (up 108%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 411 to 372.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,112 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.22% 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 Dewey Beach’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 Dewey Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dewey Beach →
Who’s in charge in Dewey Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dewey Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofdeweybeach.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 18 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (372).
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.
Cape Henlopen School District
Dewey Beach’s K–12 school district, shared with Henlopen Acres, Lewes, Milton, Rehoboth Beach. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,812 per pupil, $11,685 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.
Dewey Beach’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dewey Beach 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 Dewey Beach 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 Dewey Beach.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofdeweybeach.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.
Reach Dewey Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dewey Beach’s government
How much does Dewey Beach spend per resident?
About $10,417 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $5,019 was more than 87% of 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dewey Beach?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,112 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.22% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofdeweybeach.com.
Who runs Dewey Beach’s government?
See townofdeweybeach.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dewey Beach yet.
How did Dewey Beach vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dewey Beach alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Dewey Beach lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dewey Beach?
21 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $118,970 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dewey Beach in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Russ Huxtable) and State House District 14 (Claire Snyder-Hall). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dewey Beach’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 →