Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Wilmington run?
Wilmington’s city government spent $223.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,117 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Wilmington didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Wilmington is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $3,117 per resident a year, or $8.54 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Wilmington didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Wilmington yet
Every year of Wilmington’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, down from 1,093 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,864 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% 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 Wilmington’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 Wilmington’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wilmington →
Who’s in charge in Wilmington
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wilmington’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wilmingtonde.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 67 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (71,569).
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.
Colonial School District
Wilmington’s K–12 school district, shared with Delaware City, New Castle. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,840 per pupil, $13,252 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.
Red Clay Consolidated School District · $23,294 per pupil
Christina School District · $34,491 per pupil
Brandywine School District · $22,839 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wilmington’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wilmington alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are New Castle County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat65.5%180,700 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican32.9%90,868 votesOthers: 1.6% (4,349 votes).
Most votes in New Castle County: Kamala D Harris
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Wilmington lies in New Castle County. Every 2024 race in New Castle County is on the county’s page.
New Castle 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
Wilmington sends 5 representatives to the Delaware House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wilmingtonde.gov ↗
- 2Delaware HouseWilmington is split between 5 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.
How Wilmington compares with the towns next door
Wilmington’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $454 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Elsmere | $454 | $1,834 |
| Wilmington | estimate | $1,864 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Wilmington’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wilmington’s government
How much does Wilmington spend per resident?
About $3,117 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Wilmington didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $342.7 million.
What is the property tax rate in Wilmington?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,864 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wilmingtonde.gov.
Who runs Wilmington’s government?
See wilmingtonde.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wilmington yet.
How did Wilmington vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wilmington alone. New Castle County, where 100% of Wilmington lies, voted Harris 65.5%, Trump 32.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wilmington?
1,073 full-time and 141 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $7.8M (about $93.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wilmington in the state legislature?
Wilmington is split among 5 State House districts and 3 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 Wilmington’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 (for Wilmington, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →