Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Millsboro is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 26th of 37 graded towns in Delaware, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $79K. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: it reports more crime per resident than 83% of U.S. towns, including 27 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $397K, 4.9 years of the Seaford area’s $81K median household income. 17% of the land in Millsboro is conserved, close to Delaware’s towns (14%) and above U.S. towns (4.3%). Millsboro has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Carey's Camp Meeting Ground and Warren's Mill. Only 1 of the 37 Delaware towns we compare have a higher January low than Millsboro.
Where Millsboro beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,073 in 1970, 6,863 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1938 and 6 maps from 1917 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Delaware), ordered by how far Millsboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Millsboro, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Millsboro.
Millsboro trades workers with Georgetown and other neighbors and has home values lagging Delaware’s.
At 27.6 per 1,000 residents, Millsboro’s property crime rate is where Delaware’s towns sit at 17.3 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Millsboro reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 83% report less. Millsboro’s violent crime rate is 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Millsboro | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.6 per 1,000 residents | 17.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Indian River School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Millsboro Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 820 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within DE on state tests and graduation
0.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Millsboro is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. W B Atkins Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 10 |
| 2. Cupola Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Millsboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Millsboro has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 29° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Millsboro has about as many jobs (3,001) as working residents, but only 307 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 33 minutes, against 26 across Delaware.
Most working residents leave Millsboro for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Millsboro grew to 3,001 in 2023, 670 more than in 2013. Only 3 of the 37 Delaware towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Millsboro.
| Millsboro | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 4.5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (21% statewide). Millsboro has grown 16% since 2020, to 7,890 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Delaware.
| Millsboro | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 39.5 years | 40.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 35% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 78 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.9 points). Across Delaware, 51.6% of residents are women.
| Millsboro | DE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.2% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.6% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 14% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.3% | 12.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 8.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 28.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.3% | 18.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 20.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Millsboro beats the Delaware average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of Millsboro adults feel lonely.
| Millsboro | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Millsboro | DE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.1% | 67.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.6% | 78.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At about $397K, home values are up 5% in five years, against a rise of 21% across Delaware.
The typical Millsboro home is worth about $397,000, down 1.1% in a year, close to the Delaware typical home.
| Millsboro | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,277 a month | $1,441 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Millsboro. Close and well known come first.
22 mi National SeashoreAssateague Island National Seashore2.3M visitors a year
39 mi Theme parkMorey's Piers
18 mi LandmarkFort Miles20 mi Theme parkJolly Roger Amusement Park
38 mi MuseumAir Mobility Command Museum
16 mi Theme parkFunland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)Assateague Island National Seashore: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Morey's Piers: Smallbones, CC0 · Fort Miles: Unknown, Public domain · Air Mobility Command Museum: Teamski1, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Funland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware): Tsole, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Millsboro; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Millsboro residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Delaware.
3,877 counted in 2010 and 6,863 in 2020; an estimated 7,890 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.5% since 2020, after 77% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Millsboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Millsboro.
Town in Delaware, United States
Millsboro is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 census, Millsboro had a population of 6,863. It is part of the Salisbury metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Millsboro grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #26 of 37 in Delaware. It grades B for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Delaware, it does better than 43% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
8 notable people were born here, including Elisha D. Cullen and Quinn McColgan.
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