Housing data for Elsmere, DE
Elsmere, DE has an estimated 6,203 residents and 2,301 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in New Castle County.
34.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,339 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+4.4%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 6,203 (±24)
- Housing units
- 2,301 (±228)
- Households that rent
- 34.3%
- Median gross rent
- $1,339
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +4.4%
What stands out in Elsmere
Homes built before 1980: 88.6% (±13.7 points) in Elsmere, higher than in New Castle County (55.8%).
Median home value: $225,800 (±$13,041) in Elsmere, lower than in New Castle County ($352,200).
Working from home: 9.9% (±4.5 points) in Elsmere, lower than in New Castle County (17.6%).
Median real estate taxes: $1,834 (±$320) in Elsmere, lower than in New Castle County ($2,499).
Housing in Elsmere at a glance
- Median rent: $1,339 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,334 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 67.4% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 34.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $67,944 median household income
- Home values: $225,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,457 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,834 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 14.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 54.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 88.6% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 4.1% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 73.6% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 24.4 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 144 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +4.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 27.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 9.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Elsmere against New Castle County, its state and the nation
| Elsmere | New Castle County | Delaware | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 6,203 (±24) | 577,961 (exact) | 1,021,191 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 2,301 (±228) | 236,079 (±136) | 464,203 (±208) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 34.3% (±7.9 points) | 31.0% (±0.9 points) | 27.0% (±0.6 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,339 (±$123) | $1,448 (±$22) | $1,401 (±$16) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $67,944 (±$19,241) | $91,166 (±$1,765) | $84,954 (±$1,251) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $225,800 (±$13,041) | $352,200 (±$3,776) | $352,000 (±$2,842) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,834 (±$320) | $2,499 (±$38) | $1,768 (±$20) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 88.6% (±13.7 points) | 55.8% (±1.2 points) | 41.8% (±0.8 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 24.4 minutes (±2.7) | 25.3 minutes (±0.4) | 26.0 minutes (±0.3) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.4% (±2.8 points) | 93.2% (±0.5 points) | 92.4% (±0.4 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 35.5 years (±5.2) | 39.3 years (±0.2) | 41.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Elsmere covers 1.0 square miles of land, about 6,285 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Elsmere has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 5,943 (±29) | 6,203 (±24) | +4.4% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 2,738 (±201) | 2,301 (±228) | −16.0% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $1,035 (±$90) | $1,339 (±$123) | +29.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $174,700 (±$11,581) | $225,800 (±$13,041) | +29.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $61,275 (±$17,723) | $67,944 (±$19,241) | +10.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,404 (±$110) | $1,457 (±$150) | +3.8% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,375 (±$77) | $1,834 (±$320) | +33.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 32.5% (±6.5 points) | 34.3% (±7.9 points) | +1.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 15.2% (±10.9 points) | 4.1% (±4.9 points) | −11.1 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Elsmere
In 2025, the Elsmere Police Department reported 144 violent and 978 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across New Castle County, the departments that report recorded 287 violent and 1,012 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Elsmere
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19805 | 14% | 41,402 | $1,215 | $237,100 | $60,221 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Elsmere
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | 1.7 mi | $1,188 | $246,000 | 56.6% |
| Greenville | 2.6 mi | $1,620 | $1,062,500 | 50.7% |
| Wilmington | 3.3 mi | $1,224 | $231,400 | 52.0% |
| Wilmington Manor | 3.7 mi | $1,155 | $240,600 | 25.0% |
| Edgemoor | 4.8 mi | $1,438 | $290,400 | 40.7% |
| New Castle | 5.0 mi | $1,739 | $285,100 | 36.6% |
| Pike Creek | 5.4 mi | $2,262 | $422,500 | 12.5% |
| Bellefonte | 5.5 mi | $1,511 | $289,500 | 31.3% |
Places in Delaware most like Elsmere
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookside | $1,444 | $279,700 | $78,328 | 38.2% |
| Wilmington Manor | $1,155 | $240,600 | $78,078 | 25.0% |
| Harrington | $1,277 | $221,900 | $72,679 | 34.8% |
| Wilmington | $1,224 | $231,400 | $58,671 | 52.0% |
| Delaware City | $1,511 | $266,900 | $85,395 | 27.0% |
| Bellefonte | $1,511 | $289,500 | $90,694 | 31.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Delaware.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Elsmere, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,438 | $1,558 | $1,860 | $2,216 | $2,445 |
HUD income limits for Elsmere, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $25,800 | $42,950 | $68,750 |
| 2 people | $29,450 | $49,100 | $78,550 |
| 3 people | $33,150 | $55,250 | $88,350 |
| 4 people | $36,800 | $61,350 | $98,150 |
| 5 people | $39,750 | $66,300 | $106,050 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $71,200 | $113,900 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $76,100 | $121,750 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $81,000 | $129,600 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $122,700.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Elsmere
What is the average rent in Elsmere, DE?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Elsmere is $1,339 (±$123) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Elsmere?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Elsmere, DE is $1,181 (±$106) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Elsmere rent-burdened?
67.4% of renting households in Elsmere pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Elsmere?
Elsmere has an estimated 767 (±184) renting households, 34.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Elsmere?
The median household income in Elsmere is $67,944 (±$19,241) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Elsmere, DE?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $225,800 (±$13,041) for owner-occupied homes in Elsmere (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Elsmere growing?
In Elsmere, the number of residents went from 5,943 in 2015–2019 to 6,203 in 2020–2024 (+4.4%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Elsmere?
The ZIP code that covers Elsmere is 19805.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 19805?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 19805 is $1,215 (±$49) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Elsmere town, Delaware
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Elsmere Police Department (ORI DE0020700)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Elsmere town, Delaware (place:24540, in state:10).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .