Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,381, settled in 1778.
Selbyville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $544K, 6.7 years of the Seaford area’s $81K median household income. It grades B overall, 16th among Delaware's 37 graded towns. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. No town in Delaware scores lower than Selbyville on the outdoors.
Where Selbyville beats most towns.
2,167 counted in 2010 and 2,878 in 2020; an estimated 3,381 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.5% since 2020, after 32.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Delaware), ordered by how far Selbyville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 149 in 1880, 2,878 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 5 maps from 1901 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Selbyville, 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 Selbyville.
Selbyville draws workers from Salisbury and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Delaware; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Delaware.
2,999 jobs are based in Selbyville, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Selbyville for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs based in Selbyville grew to 2,999 in 2023, 508 more than in 2013. 4.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Selbyville, where Delaware’s towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
| Selbyville | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 8.3% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 4.5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Indian River School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selbyville Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 770 | B |
| Indian River Intensive Learning CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 12 | Grades 12 | 156 | – |
| Southern Delaware School of the ArtsTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 404 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within DE on state tests and graduation
At 6.7 years of the Seaford area’s $81K median household income, the typical home (about $544K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Delaware towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
84% of households own their home in Selbyville, above both Delaware’s towns (68%) and U.S. towns (73%). The typical Selbyville home is worth about $544,000, up 1.9% in a year, 34% above the Delaware typical home. Selbyville’s median rent is $1,152 a month.
| Selbyville | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,152 a month | $1,441 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Selbyville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The violent crime rate in Selbyville is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Within Delaware, it does better than 62% of towns. The property crime rate in Selbyville is 12.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Selbyville | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.7 per 1,000 residents | 18.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Salisbury Wicomico Rgnl Ap weather station, 18 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 201 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 87% of Delaware places with climate records.
Selbyville has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 28° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Selbyville beats the Delaware average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 14% of Selbyville adults report frequent mental distress.
| Selbyville | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Selbyville | DE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6% | 7.4% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.5% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.1% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Selbyville. Close and well known come first.
11 mi National SeashoreAssateague Island National Seashore2.3M visitors a year10 mi Theme parkJolly Roger Amusement Park
38 mi MuseumUSCGC Tamaroa
23 mi LandmarkFort Miles
11 mi Theme parkTrimper's Rides
19 mi Theme parkFunland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)Assateague Island National Seashore: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 2.5 · USCGC Tamaroa: Unknown USCG member, Public domain · Fort Miles: Unknown, Public domain · Trimper's Rides: Mttbme, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Funland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware): Tsole, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Selbyville; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Selbyville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Delaware.
Where Selbyville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Delaware, United States
Selbyville is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 census, Selbyville had a population of 2,878. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Selbyville grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #16 of 37 in Delaware. It grades B− for health, C for safety and B− for schools.
Within Delaware, it does better than 62% of towns.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
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