Living in Milford, Delaware: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.1% above the U.S. average in Delaware's metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood68 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 4.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 25.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byBayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBaltimore is about 69 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Milford meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 30% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $296,900U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 20%Sussex County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,260 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $59,464U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 51%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,493 a yearDelaware: $1,768
Homes built before 1940: 15%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 17%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 3%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 101.1U.S. average = 100 (Delaware's metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 20% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for Delaware's metro areas, not Milford alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 14,7232020: 11,296
Median age: 41.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 23%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 28%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 6%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (26%); retail (14%); manufacturing (12%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 23 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 17%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus, Milford, DE, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Milford, run by Milford School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Delaware's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 64%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 88%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 25°F
July average high: 87°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 22 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 96 a year
Rain and melted snow: 46.3 inches a year
Snow: 13 inches a year
Elevation: 21 feet

Weather station: Greenwood 2NE (11 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Vineland, NJCity of 63,00045

Baltimore, MDMetro of 2.9 million69

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Vineland, Baltimore.

Sussex County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

24 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including J. H. Wilkerson & Son Brickworks, the North Milford Historic District and the South Milford Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Assateague Island National Seashore44 miles
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park53 miles
First State National Historical Park57 miles

Read about Milford's history on Wikipedia.

Know Milford?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Frederica, DE1,200 people, 7 miles
Harrington, DE4,000 people, 8 miles
Riverview, DE2,600 people, 10 miles
Felton, DE1,400 people, 11 miles
Milton, DE3,900 people, 11 miles
Greenwood, DE1,200 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Lincoln, DE (unincorporated)1,873 people, 3 miles
Houston, DE405 people, 4 miles
Slaughter Beach, DE255 people, 6 miles
Ellendale, DE591 people, 7 miles
Farmington, DE101 people, 9 miles
Bowers, DE290 people, 11 miles
Magnolia, DE291 people, 12 miles
Viola, DE145 people, 12 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.