Augustine Beach Hotel · National Register of Historic Places
Port Penn’s story
Port Penn in pictures
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Port PennDE
It is a town of 592 residents in Delaware.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church · Photo: Smallbones · Public domain
Population
592
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$384K
Census ACS
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
66.0
years
Jobs based here
14
A commuter town
Is Port Penn a good place to live?
Among 38 Delaware towns, just one has a higher home-ownership rate than Port Penn. Its National Register listings include Dilworth House and Augustine Beach Hotel. Port Penn has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Port Penn stand out
Where Port Penn beats most towns.
Small town
592 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Nearby attractions
All 231 attractions →USS New Jersey and 132 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Penn. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw38 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw38 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
33 mi Park & preserveSchuylkill RiverSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Schuylkill River: Emy111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Port Penn: who provides what
Port Penn is unincorporated, so New Castle County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDelmarva Power18.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBayview Improvement Company (Awc)No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesNew Castle CountyNew Castle County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Delaware you can register online until 24 days before Election Day, in person until 24 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 24 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDepartment of Elections - New Castle County OfficeNew Castle County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2019
ZIP code1973119731 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Port Penn.
Work & commute
Most of Port Penn’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
For half of commuters, work is under 16 miles away. The top destinations are Wilmington (10%), Newark (6%) and Middletown (4%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Port Penn0%
Wilmington10%
Newark6%
Middletown4%
Dover3%
16 mi
median commute distance
14
jobs based in Port Penn
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Port Penn, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 27° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter. Among 38 Delaware towns, just 2 have a lower midsummer high than Port Penn.
20″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter29–44°
Spring44–63°
Summer66–84°
Fall49–67°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 7
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Port Penn is
Among adults in Port Penn, 15% report frequent mental distress, below both Delaware’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (17%). The town beats the Delaware average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. In Port Penn, 29% of adults feel lonely. Only 2 of the 38 Delaware towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Port Penn.
| Port Penn | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Delaware
13 better17 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Port Penn | DE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.7% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 13.9% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.6% | 14.2% |
Christiana Hospital
In Newark · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Port Penn, mostly inland flooding
In Port Penn, the FEMA risk score is 47 of 100, above both the Delaware town median (33 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). FEMA puts 68% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 8% to coastal flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities.
47risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCoastal flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
$275Kmedian sale price
0
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Port Penn
15pages on Port Penn
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Port Penn
Wilmington UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · New Castle11.5 mi$12,630 tuitionSalem Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Carneys Point, NJ14 mi$6,360 in-state tuitionUniversity of DelawareUniversity or college · Public · Newark14.6 mi$16,810 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Port Penn residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Delaware.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Port Penn for work
Where Port Penn’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
14jobs based in Port Penn
0%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Landmarks
6 places in Port Penn on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Questions about Port Penn
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Port Penn, DE a good place to live?
Port Penn has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.