Elsmere, Delaware

Town in New Castle County · population 6,229 (2020 Census)

Median home: $225,800
Household income: $67,944
Jan low / Jul high: 24° / 84°
Snow a year: 12 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 23
Median age: 35.5

Elsmere is a town of 6,229 people in New Castle County, Delaware. The median home is worth $225,800, below the typical Delaware town ($302,450). It ranks more vibrant than 100% of Delaware towns, more walkable than 98% of Delaware towns, more of a college town than 89% of Delaware towns.

Elsmere in our rankings:

How Elsmere ranks

Percentile among Delaware towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Delaware towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Elsmere is worth $225,800, below the typical Delaware town ($302,450). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $67,944, which is more affordable than 80% of Delaware towns. Median rent is $1,339 a month. 65.7% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Delaware towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Elsmere	Typical Delaware town
Median home value	$225,800	$302,450
Median rent	$1,339	$1,342
Median household income	$67,944	$78,707
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	3.8×
Homeownership	65.7%	72.0%
Median year built	1956	1987
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Elsmere

People	Elsmere	Typical Delaware town
Median age	35.5	39.5
Age 65 and over	12.5%	17.5%
Under 18	27.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.1%	32.5%
Below the poverty line	23.1%	8.4%
Veterans	4.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	11.1%	—
Work from home	9.9%	13.8%
Average commute	24.4 min	25.1 min
Homes with broadband	95.4%	93.0%

Weather in Elsmere

July highs average 84.0°F and January lows 23.8°F. About 50.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 12.0 inches of snow (typical Delaware town: 12.8 in). Expect about 17 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 87 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Wilmington Porter Rsch station (3.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Elsmere since 1950, compared with 13 for the typical Delaware town. 8 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on April 28, 1961 about 4.9 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 1 deaths and 12 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on August 8, 2024.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 40 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on May 22, 2014.

Severe weather in New Castle County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, New Castle County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 18 deaths recorded.

New Castle County has been included in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for drought, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
October 24, 2021	Hurricane	DR-4627: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida
October 2, 2020	Hurricane	DR-4566: Tropical Storm Isaias
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4526: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3449: Covid-19
November 16, 2012	Hurricane	DR-4090: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in New Castle County

New Castle County had 303,806 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $80,334 a year. Unemployment was 3.9% in 2023; in Elsmere itself the ACS puts it at 4.8%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Elsmere

Greenville, DE
2.6 mi · 3,104 people · home $1,062,500
Wilmington, DE
3.3 mi · 70,898 people · home $231,400
Wilmington Manor, DE
3.7 mi · 8,162 people · home $240,600
Edgemoor, DE
4.8 mi · 6,635 people · home $290,400
New Castle, DE
5.0 mi · 5,551 people · home $285,100
Pike Creek, DE
5.4 mi · 7,808 people · home $422,500
Pike Creek Valley, DE
5.5 mi · 11,692 people · home $340,300
Hockessin, DE
5.5 mi · 13,478 people · home $568,800

Elsmere questions

Is Elsmere, Delaware a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Elsmere scores better for retirees than 0% of Delaware towns and quieter than 2%. 12.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 35.5).

How much does a house cost in Elsmere?

The median owner-occupied home in Elsmere is valued at $225,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $67,944, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is $1,339 a month.

What is the weather like in Elsmere?

July highs average 84.0°F and January lows 23.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 50.3 inches of precipitation a year and 12.0 inches of snow.

Does Elsmere get tornadoes?

23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Elsmere since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on April 28, 1961. The typical Delaware town has had 13.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Elsmere's Census boundary (GEOID 1024540). Comparisons use the median of Delaware towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.