Delaware
For Americans thinking of retiring to Delaware from another state, or comparing it with a move abroad. Prices in Delaware run at 99.8 against a US average of 100, with housing at 102. We cover Delaware's 3 counties on the map below, each with a page of its own, and no town in depth yet.
Sources: BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (SARPP, line codes 1-5), 2024-12-31
Delaware is not compared with a town — compare two towns instead. Why?
Delaware, a state of the United States, is not the same kind of thing as a town: it spans many counties and very different places. Putting a state-wide average beside one town's own figures produces a number that looks like an answer and describes nothing a person would experience — so the engine refuses that pairing rather than rendering it thinly. A town against another town, here or abroad, is like-for-like. Build a comparison →
Research in progress. Our quality assessment of the official sources for the United States is not finished yet. Every figure published here is sourced and dated.
Delaware's 3 counties
Every county in Delaware on its own figures, against every US county that has the same figure. Pick a county on the map or in the list.
- Lowest fifth of US counties
- Middle fifth
- Highest fifth (darker = a larger share 65+)
- No figure
- At least one hospital rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS
- None in the county
- No figure
- Bottom fifth of US counties
- Middle fifth
- Top fifth (darker = cheaper)
- No figure
- Bottom fifth of US counties
- Middle fifth
- Top fifth (darker = lower)
- No figure
- Bottom fifth of US counties
- Middle fifth
- Top fifth (darker = lower)
- No figure
- Bottom fifth of US counties
- Middle fifth
- Top fifth (darker = more)
- No figure
- Bottom fifth of US counties
- Middle fifth
- Top fifth (darker = lower)
- No figure
Outlines: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary files (2024). A fifth is among every US county holding the figure, so a color means the same thing in every state.
All 3 counties, with their figures
-
Kent County
194,786 residents, 39,599 aged 65 or older (20.3 %)
- Cost of living
- 97.5 Cheaper than 14 % of the other 3,142 US counties Dover, DE metropolitan area, US = 100
- Taxes on a retired couple
- USD $1,507 Lower than 93 % of the other 3,110 US counties
- Healthcare access
- No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS
- Safety
- 7.3 per 100,000 a year Lower than 51 % of the other 767 US counties
- Climate
- 5.0 months a year More than 39 % of the other 3,143 US counties
- Natural-hazard risk
- USD $0.94 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 82 % of the other 3,143 US counties
- Medicare premiums
- Advantage USD $5,240 · Original + drug plan USD $5,748 a year for two Typical plans; premiums only, not the cost of care
Largest places: Dover, Smyrna, Milford (Census, 1 July 2024).
Kent County page → -
New Castle County
588,026 residents, 110,835 aged 65 or older (18.8 %)
- Cost of living
- 102.6 Cheaper than 6 % of the other 3,142 US counties Its area's figure: every county in the area shares it. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area, US = 100
- Taxes on a retired couple
- USD $2,483 Lower than 68 % of the other 3,110 US counties
- Healthcare access
- 2 hospitals in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS
- Safety
- 8.8 per 100,000 a year Lower than 40 % of the other 767 US counties
- Climate
- 5.0 months a year More than 39 % of the other 3,143 US counties
- Natural-hazard risk
- USD $1.21 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 59 % of the other 3,143 US counties
- Medicare premiums
- Advantage USD $4,870 · Original + drug plan USD $5,748 a year for two Typical plans; premiums only, not the cost of care
Largest places: Wilmington, Newark, Middletown (Census, 1 July 2024).
New Castle County page → -
Sussex County
277,140 residents, 90,887 aged 65 or older (32.8 %)
- Cost of living
- Sussex County has no price level: BEA publishes none for its area.
- Taxes on a retired couple
- USD $1,118 Lower than 98 % of the other 3,110 US counties
- Healthcare access
- No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS
- Safety
- 4.3 per 100,000 a year Lower than 77 % of the other 767 US counties
- Climate
- 6.0 months a year More than 88 % of the other 3,143 US counties
- Natural-hazard risk
- USD $1.13 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 66 % of the other 3,143 US counties
- Medicare premiums
- Advantage USD $5,059 · Original + drug plan USD $5,748 a year for two Typical plans; premiums only, not the cost of care
Largest places: Seaford, Georgetown, Milford (Census, 1 July 2024).
Sussex County page →
Sources: US Census Bureau, county population estimates by age, 1 July 2025; BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, all items, of each county's metropolitan area or its state's nonmetropolitan portion; The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household; CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026; CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death 2018-2024 (Single Race, final), by county of residence; CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al.; FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB); CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
Where Delaware stands, on the six criteria
Delaware's six figures are the ones that set its place on the state ranking, where it sits in Tier 2 of 16. Each is measured for the whole of Delaware, not for any single place within it.
| Criterion | Delaware |
|---|---|
| Cost of living BEA price level, all items (US = 100); lower is better |
99.8 Cheaper than 38% of the other 50 · housing 102.0 · goods 96.2 · utilities 103.8 · other services 101.2
BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (SARPP, line codes 1-5) · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-08-28
|
| Taxes on a retired couple state and local tax on the example retired couple, USD a year; lower is better |
USD $1,758 (90% margin USD $1,734–$1,782) Lower than 88% of the other 50
Each state's published 2025 income-tax rules and the Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · figure for 2025
|
| Healthcare access share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better |
46 % of residents 65+ Higher than 28% of the other 50
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026, weighted by each county's population 65+ (US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025) · figure for 2026 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Safety homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better |
7.4 per 100,000 a year (95% interval 6.6–8.1) Lower than 38% of the other 50
CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death 2018-2024 (Single Race, final), by state of residence · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Climate months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better |
5.4 months a year More than 92% of the other 50
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al., weighted by each county's population 65+ (US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025) · figure for 2010 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Natural-hazard risk expected yearly loss to buildings from natural hazards, per USD $1,000 of buildings; lower is better |
USD $1.14 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 68% of the other 50
FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), state expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-10-27
|
Medicare in Delaware
For the published example couple, both 67 and married: what Medicare premiums cost a year for two in Delaware, and the most a bad year can cost. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so it is not estimated here.
Medicare Advantage, with drug coverage
USD $5,059 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,870)
At most USD $19,370 in a bad year (from USD $17,670), with each person's in-network out-of-pocket maximum
The middle of the 13 plans offered here; "from" is the lowest premium among them.
Original Medicare, with a drug plan
USD $5,748 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,997)
Medigap: no federal price list — not in this total.
No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone.
Part B for two, plus the middle of the 9 standalone drug plans offered in the state.
The middle of Delaware's 3 counties, weighted by residents 65 or older (US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025).
The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published (CMS usually publishes it in November); 2026's is used.
Source: CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
Since January 1, 2026, Delaware gives residents with a Delaware-issued Medigap policy a yearly window from 30 days before their birthday until at least 30 days after it to switch to same or lesser benefits from any carrier without medical underwriting. Delaware's rule
Free, official Medicare counseling in Delaware: Delaware Medicare Assistance Bureau, 1-800-336-9500 (the State Health Insurance Assistance Program).
Retiring to Delaware: pros and cons, by the figures
Retiring to Delaware, judged on the six figures above: a pro is a figure in the top fifth of the states, a con one in the bottom fifth. Figures in between get no verdict.
Pros
- Taxes on a retired couple: lower than 88% of the other 50 (USD $1,758). Each state's published 2025 income-tax rules and the Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household
- Climate: more than 92% of the other 50 (5.4 months a year). CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al., weighted by each county's population 65+ (US Census Bureau, 1 July 2025)
Cons
None of Delaware's six figures is in the bottom fifth of the states.
Also shown, not scored
Delaware's other state-wide figures: shown for context, not part of its tier. Measured for the whole of Delaware — not for any single place within it.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
|
Population
Total resident population, US Census Bureau estimate for 1 July 2025.
How this is measuredTotal resident population, Census Bureau estimate as of 1 July 2025, as reported in SSA's Table 1. Bigger is not better — this axis exists for context, never for ranking. |
1,059,952 people |
|
Population 65 plus
Residents aged 65 or older, US Census Bureau estimate for 1 July 2025.
How this is measuredResident population aged 65 or older, Census Bureau estimate as of 1 July 2025, as reported in SSA's Table 1. |
241,321 people |
|
Social security beneficiary share
Everyone receiving Social Security — retired, disabled, survivors and dependants — as a share of the population, 2025.
How this is measuredAll OASDI beneficiaries — retired workers, disabled workers, survivors and dependants — as a percentage of the total resident population. SSA Table 1 (2025), population as of 1 July 2025. Not the same measure as the county-level retired-worker share. |
24.2 percent |
Source for every figure: SSA Table 1 (2025) · Census population as of 1 July 2025 · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-08-28 Official source
Taxes on a retired couple in Delaware
We apply Delaware's published rules for tax year 2025 to one example household and show the sum, line by line. These are rules already in force for 2025, not a projection.
The example household
| Filing status | married filing jointly, both aged 67 |
|---|---|
| Social Security | USD $45,000 a year, combined |
| Private pension | USD $25,000 a year |
| IRA or 401(k) withdrawal | USD $20,000 a year |
| Home, for property tax | USD $350,000 |
An illustrative household, the same for every state so states can be compared. Each spouse holds half of each income. Your own figures will differ.
Delaware's rules applied
Federal income tax is left out: it is the same in every state, so it cannot separate them. Sales tax is left out too: it depends on what a household buys, and no state publishes an average of its local rates. The rate is listed below.
The rules behind the sum
- Top income-tax rate: 6.6 % Delaware Division of Revenue: Tax Rate Changes (personal income tax table, tax years 2014 and later) · checked Oct 26, 2026
- Social Security not taxable (line 8a): 100 % of it Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 PIT-RES Instructions, Line 8a · checked Oct 26, 2026
- Pension and eligible retirement income exclusion, 60 or over: USD $12,500 per person, from age 60 Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 PIT-RES Instructions, Line 11 worksheet · checked Oct 26, 2026
- Standard deduction, filing status 2 (joint): USD $6,500 Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 PIT-RES Instructions, Line 20a · checked Oct 26, 2026
- Additional standard deduction, 65 or older: USD $2,500 per person, from age 65 Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 PIT-RES Instructions, Line 21 · checked Oct 26, 2026
- Personal credit: USD $110 per person Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 PIT-RES Instructions, Line 27a · checked Oct 26, 2026
- Additional personal credit, 60 or over: USD $110 per person, from age 60 Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 PIT-RES Instructions, Persons 60 or Over Checklist · checked Oct 26, 2026
- No state or local sales tax (businesses pay a gross receipts tax): 0 % Delaware Division of Revenue: Doing Business in Delaware, Step 4 - Gross Receipts Taxes · checked Oct 26, 2026
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