Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0How is Lewes run?
Lewes’ city government spent $9.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $2,584 per resident.
What stands out about how Lewes is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Cape Henlopen School District
Lewes’ K–12 school district, shared with Dewey Beach, Henlopen Acres, 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.
About $2,584 per resident a year, or $7.08 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Lewes yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Lewes’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 54 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,027 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.25% 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 Lewes’ 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 Lewes’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lewes →
Who’s in charge in Lewes
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lewes’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.lewes.de.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 57 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 (3,533).
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.
Lewes’ votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lewes 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 Lewes 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 Lewes.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.lewes.de.us ↗
- 2Delaware HouseLewes is split between 2 districts
- 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 Lewes’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lewes’ government
How much does Lewes spend per resident?
About $2,584 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Lewes?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,027 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.25% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.lewes.de.us.
Who runs Lewes’ government?
See ci.lewes.de.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lewes yet.
How did Lewes vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lewes alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Lewes lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lewes?
62 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $339,648 (about $4.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lewes in the state legislature?
Lewes is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Delaware Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 6 (Russ Huxtable). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lewes’ 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 →