Photo: Levelhead at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Seaford spent more per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Seaford’s city government spent $17.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $2,072 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($14.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Seaford is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,329 per resident in 2022: more than 74% of them
Seaford’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,329 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 $597, and the middle half spent $311–$1,398. Seaford spent more than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 million), 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; Seaford itself left out).
About $2,072 per resident a year, or $5.68 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 56% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Seaford 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: $1,329 · 2023: $2,072.
full-time in March 2025, up from 83 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 $1,151 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% 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 Seaford’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 Seaford’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Seaford →
Who’s in charge in Seaford
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Seaford’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on seafordde.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 94 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (8,250).
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.
Seaford School District
Seaford’s K–12 school district, shared with Blades. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,681 per pupil, $9,528 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.
Seaford’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Seaford 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 Seaford 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 Seaford.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: seafordde.com ↗
- 2Delaware HouseSeaford 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 Seaford’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Seaford’s government
How much does Seaford spend per resident?
About $2,072 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,329 was more than 74% of 31 Delaware cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Seaford?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,151 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see seafordde.com.
Who runs Seaford’s government?
See seafordde.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Seaford yet.
How did Seaford vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Seaford alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Seaford lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Seaford?
88 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $684,982 (about $8.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Seaford in the state legislature?
Seaford is split among 2 State House districts and 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 Seaford’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 →