Everything You Need to Know About Delaware's Crime Rates

As one of the smallest states in the nation, Delaware has a reputation for being a calm, safe place to live. While it's true that Delaware is a peaceful state with lots of nice suburbs and gorgeous state parks, it's not entirely crime free. Residents reported 1,665 stolen vehicles in 2020. Your chance of becoming a victim of violent crime is approximately 1 in 238. Are you interested in finding out just how likely you are to encounter crime in Delaware? Explore this helpful guide to learn more.

An overview of crime rates in Delaware

In 2021, 69,595 serious criminal offenses were reported in Delaware. This included 17,333 violent crimes. When you take into account the estimated 998,488 people living in the state in 2021, Delaware had a crime rate of around 69.7 criminal offenses per 1,000 residents.

The most common crimes in Delaware include:

• Assault
• Theft
• Vandalism
• Drug-related offenses
• Fraud

Since 2020, the overall number of crimes in Delaware has been increasing. While drug-related crimes have been on the downturn, there has been an increase in violent crime. Some types of property crime have also soared. Despite this rise in crime, Delaware's crime rates are just slightly higher than national averages. In other words, people in Delaware do not have an unusually high or unusually low risk of being a victim of crime.

Crime rates for major cities in Delaware

Keep in mind that Delaware crime rates often vary depending on where you live. Some of the larger cities in Delaware have higher crime rates than the rest of the state. Here are some details you need to know about Delaware's most popular towns.

Wilmington, Delaware crime rates

Wilmington has around 4,100 crimes each year. This includes 3,100 property crimes and 1,000 violent crimes. The overall rate for Wilmington is 59 crimes per 1,000 residents. This is significantly higher than crime rates for Delaware as a whole. The crime rate is also much higher than crime rates in nearby areas like Philadelphia. These crime rates are particularly high in the southern part of the city near the river.

Dover, Delaware crime rates

Dover has roughly 1,900 crimes each year, and 50 crimes occur for every 1,000 residents. The rate for violent crime in Dover is 9.5 per 1,000 residents, and the rate for property crime is about 40 per 1,000 residents. Crime in Dover tends to primarily occur in a few small parts of town. The areas near the Air Force base have fairly low crime rates.

Newark, Delaware crime rates

Each year, Newark has around 1,087 crimes—127 of them are violent crimes, while 960 are property crimes. The city has an overall crime rate of about 35 crimes per 1,000 residents. As far as large cities in Delaware go, Newark's crime rates are somewhat low. Though these rates are higher than state averages, they're lower than most other similarly sized cities. Newark actually has a lower violent crime rate than Delaware state averages.

Property crime rates in Delaware

A look at Delaware crime rates shows that the majority of offenses in Delaware are property crimes. In 2021, 19,607 serious property offenses were reported, such as burglary, arson, and theft. There were 23,713 reports of other property and social offenses, such as fraud, embezzlement, vandalism, and cruelty to animals. Law enforcement only resolved about 24% of serious property crimes in Delaware in 2021, so many criminals were not caught. Security cameras from Vivint not only help you keep an eye on your property, but they let you view their live or recorded footage anywhere, anytime. The police can also use this footage to help them investigate if an intruder does try to break into your house or car.

Vehicle theft in Delaware

In 2020, Delaware residents reported around 1,665 vehicles as stolen. Most of these were automobile thefts, but a few hundred trucks, buses, and other vehicles are also stolen each year. Car theft has been on the rise lately, and unfortunately, most vehicle owners don't get their vehicles back. State statistics from 2021 show that law enforcement officials cleared only 18.1% of motor vehicle thefts.

Let Vivint protect your Delaware home

If you want to protect your home and loved ones more effectively, choosing a home security and automation system is a smart move. Home security systems provide these benefits:

• Keep an eye on things at home: With Vivint security cameras, you can keep a close eye on your home even when you're far away. Delaware homeowners can quickly see whether a security alert is linked to an in-progress crime, check if their package has been delivered, and even make sure their pets are comfortable at home.
• Make it harder for criminals to gain entry: Stop crimes of opportunity by always making sure your doors are locked. With smart locks, you can check the status of your lock at any time and lock your door remotely if you forgot to lock it before leaving the house.
• Deter criminals with smart cameras: The Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro uses detection technology to recognize intruders and play a loud chirp to warn the intruders they're on camera. Since cameras make it far easier to catch criminals, criminals often avoid homes with noticeable security cameras.
• Get warnings for potential crimes: Security sensors throughout your home can determine when someone breaks a window in your house or forces a door open. When this happens, our monitoring team can check on your home and send you notifications through the Vivint app.

Protect your home with Vivint

No matter where you live in Delaware, home security is an important tool you can use to protect your home and family. A few simple products can greatly reduce your risk of being the victim of a crime. At Vivint, we prioritize our customers' safety and satisfaction. We provide a blend of helpful security devices and useful home automation items.

Chat with one of our home security experts to customize the perfect products for your home. We’ll make sure everything is properly installed and connected to your control hub so you can easily monitor your home's security. To schedule a free consultation, call us at 855.822.1220 today.