Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Elsmere run?
Elsmere’s town government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $714 per resident.
What stands out about how Elsmere is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Red Clay Consolidated School District
Elsmere’s K–12 school district, shared with Newport, Wilmington. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,294 per pupil, $12,074 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 $714 per resident a year, or $1.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$454 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Elsmere’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($454 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $610, and the middle half spent $311–$1,469. Elsmere spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($517,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elsmere itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 68% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Elsmere 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: $454 · 2024: $714. Per resident it went from $454 to $714 (up 57%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 5,761 to 6,160.
full-time in March 2025, down from 25 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,834 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% 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 Elsmere’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.
Tax bills are one input to Elsmere’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elsmere →
Who’s in charge in Elsmere
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Elsmere’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on elsmere.delaware.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 257 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (6,160).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Elsmere’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Elsmere alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are New Castle County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat65.5%180,700 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican32.9%90,868 votesOthers: 1.6% (4,349 votes).
Most votes in New Castle County: Kamala D Harris
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Elsmere lies in New Castle County. Every 2024 race in New Castle County is on the county’s page.
New Castle 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 Elsmere.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: elsmere.delaware.gov ↗
- 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 Elsmere compares with the towns next door
Elsmere spent $454 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | estimate | $1,864 |
| Elsmere | $454 | $1,834 |
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 Elsmere’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Elsmere’s government
How much does Elsmere spend per resident?
About $714 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $454 was less than 61% of 31 Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elsmere?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,834 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see elsmere.delaware.gov.
Who runs Elsmere’s government?
See elsmere.delaware.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elsmere yet.
How did Elsmere vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Elsmere alone. New Castle County, where 100% of Elsmere lies, voted Harris 65.5%, Trump 32.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Elsmere?
24 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $154,735 (about $1.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Elsmere in the state legislature?
Elsmere is split among 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Delaware Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elsmere’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 →