Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Townsend is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 1st of 37 graded towns in Delaware. The median household earns $153K, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, and it is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. Townsend’s median household income is $153,000, against $80,000 in Delaware’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 37 Delaware towns we compare have a lower share of residents 65 or older than Townsend. Huguenot House and Townsend Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Townsend beats most towns.
2,049 counted in 2010 and 2,717 in 2020; an estimated 2,985 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.6% since 2020, after 32.6% 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 Townsend is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 199 in 1880, a low of 199 in 1880, 2,717 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 4 maps from 1931 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Townsend, 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 Townsend.
Townsend has schools in the top 5% of Delaware, gets more snow than almost anywhere else in Delaware and fares better on crime within Delaware than nationally.
At 6.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 100% of Delaware’s graded towns.
Townsend’s property crime rate is 2.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Townsend | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 18.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its A− ranks #3 of the 37 Delaware towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Appoquinimink School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Townsend Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 435 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within DE on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Delaware is heart disease: 3.7% of its 1,861 adults have heart disease, against 6.9% statewide. Against the 2,556 U.S. towns with household incomes like Townsend’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
10% of Townsend adults report frequent physical distress. Townsend beats the Delaware average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 18% of Townsend adults binge drink.
| Townsend | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Townsend | DE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.7% | 6.9% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.1% | 7.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.2% | 14.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median household earns $153,000, against $84,954 across Delaware, one input to its A for jobs and income.
People 65 and older are 6% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 29% of residents (21% statewide). Townsend has grown 9.6% since 2020, to 2,985 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 42% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Townsend.
| Townsend | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 29% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 34% | 29% |
| Median age | 36.5 years | 40.8 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across Delaware, 51.6% of residents are women.
| Townsend | DE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 23.6% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.4% | 14% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 3.6% | 12.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.5% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 8.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.2% | 28.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.4% | 18.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.3% | 20.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.3% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Townsend has 281 jobs for its 1,318 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 34.6 minutes, against 26 across Delaware.
Most working residents leave Townsend for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Townsend is 35 minutes. Jobs based in Townsend grew to 281 in 2023, 42 more than in 2013.
| Townsend | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.4% | 8.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 5.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median property tax bill is $3,506, against $1,768 across Delaware, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Townsend home is worth about $498,000, up 2.8% in a year, 23% above the Delaware typical home. Among 37 Delaware towns, just 2 have a higher share of households owning their home than Townsend.
| Townsend | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,193 a month | $1,441 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Townsend Municipal Park | 0.7 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Wilmington New Castle Co Ap weather station, 19 miles away, records that 20 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, the highest of 79 Delaware places with climate records. January nights average 25°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 81% of Delaware places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.9°.
Townsend has chilly winters and warm summers.
| Townsend | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Townsend. Close and well known come first.
32 mi GardenLongwood Gardens
34 mi Stadium & arenaSubaru Park
25 mi LandmarkFort Christina
28 mi MuseumWinterthur Museum, Garden and Library
15 mi LandmarkFort Delaware
27 mi MuseumNemours Mansion and GardensLongwood Gardens: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Subaru Park: Something Original (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Christina: Jerrye & Roy Klotz MD, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library: Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5 · Fort Delaware: Michael Swanda, U.S. Army Corps of Enginers, Public domain · Nemours Mansion and Gardens: A. Rasey, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Townsend; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Townsend residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Delaware.
Where Townsend’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Delaware, United States
Townsend is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 census, Townsend had a population of 2,717. The center of population of Delaware is located in Townsend.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Townsend grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #1 of 37 in Delaware. It grades A for health, A for safety and A− for schools.
That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($91,289 across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro 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−.
2 notable people were born here, including David P. Buckson and Happy Townsend.
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