Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Fenwick Island spent more per resident in 2022 than 78% of similar cities
Fenwick Island’s town government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2022, about $3,089 per resident.
What stands out about how Fenwick Island is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$3,089 per resident in 2022: more than 78% of them
Fenwick Island’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($3,089 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. Fenwick Island spent more than 78% 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; Fenwick Island itself left out).
About $3,089 per resident a year, or $8.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Fenwick Island reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,500 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.18% 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 Fenwick Island’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 Fenwick Island’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fenwick Island →
Who’s in charge in Fenwick Island
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fenwick Island’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on fenwickisland.delaware.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 33 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 (459).
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.
Indian River School District
Fenwick Island’s K–12 school district, shared with Bethany Beach, Dagsboro, 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.
Fenwick Island’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Fenwick Island 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 Fenwick Island 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 Fenwick Island.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: fenwickisland.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.
Reach Fenwick Island’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fenwick Island’s government
How much does Fenwick Island spend per resident?
About $3,089 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to July 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $3,089 was more than 78% of 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fenwick Island?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,500 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.18% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fenwickisland.delaware.gov.
Who runs Fenwick Island’s government?
See fenwickisland.delaware.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fenwick Island yet.
How did Fenwick Island vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Fenwick Island alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Fenwick Island lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fenwick Island?
14 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $79,424 (about $953,088 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fenwick Island in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Gerald Hocker) and State House District 38 (Ron Gray). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fenwick Island’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 →