Delaware’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to our 11th annual State of Safety survey, Delaware residents feel safer in their state these days. They reported fewer first-hand experiences with property crime and package theft, but violent crime and gun violence seems to be on the rise. 

Meanwhile, official crime rates paint a more alarming picture with significant increases in both property crime and violent crime rates in The First State. Fortunately, many of Delaware's safest cities of 2026 experience crime rates lower than state and national averages. 

The violent crime rate in Delaware is 7.17 incidents per 1,000 people, which is higher than the national average of 4.43. This is the fifth highest violent crime rate in the nation. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Delaware reported a much lower violent crime rate of 4.5.

Property crime in The First State has also increased in recent years, jumping from 20.5 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 32.44 incidents in this year's report. That's the sixth highest in the nation and higher than the national property crime rate of 22.89. 

These are significant increases, but our State of Safety survey tells a more optimistic story. The percentage of Delawareans who feel safe in the state rose from 50% to 60% year over year, which is higher than the nationwide sentiment of 52%. Delawareans (22%) are also among those most likely to believe crime is decreasing.

Our State of Safety survey results show Delaware residents are less worried about property crime and package theft compared to the year before. This makes sense considering their personal experiences have also declined. 

• 47% of Delawareans said they worry about property crime on a daily basis, down from 56% the previous year and slightly higher than the national average of 46%.
• 18% of Delawareans said they experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 27% the previous year and lower than the national average of 21%.
• Delaware residents worry about package theft less than the average American (DE 43%, US 44%) and are less likely to experience it first-hand (DE 21%, US 31%).
• The percentage of Delawareans who experience package theft dropped from 36% to 21% year over year. 
• Delaware reports the third-lowest package theft incident rate in the nation, trailing only Maine and South Dakota.
• Of the Delawareans who use property protection, most prefer security cameras (55%), security systems (42%), or guard dogs (34%).

Worries about violent crime have risen slightly in Delaware, as have first-hand experiences with violent crime.

• 60% of Delaware respondents said they're highly concerned about violent crime, up from 58% the year before (55% US).
• 12% claimed to have experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, up from 8% last year (12% US).
• Of the 31% who use some form of personal protection, most Delaware residents prefer pepper spray (42%), firearms (39%), and pocket knives (32%).
• Compared to the average American, Delawareans are more likely to use a whistle or personal alarm (DE 19%, US 11%) and personal safety app (DE 23%, US 12%).

• 57% of Delaware residents worry about gun violence on a daily basis, which is the same percentage as last year (55% US).
• 8% experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, up from 5% the previous year (9% US).
• 3 mass shooting events occurred in Delaware during 2025, up from 2 incidents in 2024.
• Of the Delawareans who use some form of personal protection, 39% use a concealed firearm (45% US).

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 19 Delaware cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Ocean View, a newcomer to the list, lands at the #1 spot this year with the lowest violent crime rate reported in Delaware.
• Clayton is in the top 2 for the fifth year in a row. 
• Only two cities saw a drop in both violent crime and property crime year over year: Selbyville and Middletown 
• The #8 city, Newark, is the third-largest city in Delaware, which makes its low per capita crime rates even more impressive.
• Smyrna's (#10) violent crime rate is 6 times higher than Ocean View's (#1), and its property crime rate is 3.5 times higher.
• 1 murder occurred in Delaware's 10 safest cities. It happened in Newark.
• 4 cities reported zero robberies: Ocean View, Clayton, Lewes, and Harrington.

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