Wilmington, Delaware, boasts a rich history and culture but grapples with various challenges, including poverty, crime, and urban deterioration. According to FBI statistics, Wilmington’s total crime rate stands at 5,296.7 per 100,000 residents, surpassing the national average by 125.78% and the Delaware average by 121.32%.
The violent crime rate in Wilmington is 15.00 per 1,000 residents, a stark contrast to the national median of 4.2, being 3.57 times higher. In terms of property crime, Wilmington records 43.90 incidents per 1,000 residents, which is 2.25 times higher than the national median of 19.44.
While certain neighborhoods within Wilmington, like Greenville, Wawaset Park, and Bellefonte, enjoy safety and prosperity, others grapple with elevated crime rates, poverty, and urban decay. Drawing from data from NeighborhoodScout, CrimeGrade, and HomeSnacks, we’ve compiled a list of Wilmington’s five most worst neighborhoods:
East Side
This neighborhood, situated to the east of downtown Wilmington and north of the Christina River, has around 9,000 residents with a median household income of $23,000.
Unfortunately, the neighborhood faces significant challenges in terms of safety. The crime rate here is 8,560 incidents per 100,000 people, which is 62% above the city’s average and a staggering 264% higher than the national average.
West Center City
This area lies to the west of downtown Wilmington and is situated south of I-95. It’s home to approximately 4,000 residents with a median household income of $18,000. However, the neighborhood faces significant challenges regarding safety.
The crime rate here stands at 8,320 incidents per 100,000 people, which is notably higher than both the city and national averages. Specifically, the violent crime rate is 22.8 per 1,000 residents, more than five times the national average, and the property crime rate is 80.4 per 1,000 residents, over four times higher than the national median.
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Hilltop
This neighborhood, situated southwest of downtown Wilmington and north of Lancaster Avenue, is home to approximately 6,000 residents with a median household income of $26,000.
In terms of safety, the crime rate in this area is quite concerning, at 7,920 incidents per 100,000 people. This rate is 49% above the city’s average and a staggering 233% higher than the national average.
The violent crime rate stands at 21.6 per 1,000 residents, which is 5.14 times greater than the national median. Additionally, the property crime rate is 76 per 1,000 residents, which is 3.91 times higher than the national median.
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Browntow
This neighborhood, situated to the south of downtown Wilmington and east of I-95, has around 5,000 residents with a median household income of $28,000. Unfortunately, it faces a high crime rate of 7,600 incidents per 100,000 people, surpassing the city’s average by 43% and the national average by 222%.
To break it down further, the violent crime rate stands at 20.8 per 1,000 residents, which is nearly five times higher than the national average. Additionally, the property crime rate is 72.8 per 1,000 residents, exceeding the national median by about 3.74 times.
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Southbridge
This neighborhood, situated southeast of downtown Wilmington alongside the Christina River, has approximately 3,000 residents with a median household income of $24,000.
Unfortunately, the crime rate in this area is notably high, standing at 7,280 incidents per 100,000 people. This figure is 37% greater than the citywide average and a staggering 210% higher than the national average.
When we break it down further, the violent crime rate is a concerning 9 incidents per 1,000 residents, making it 4.74 times higher than the national median. Moreover, the property crime rate is 69.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, which is 3.58 times higher than the national median.
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Conclusion
These areas are not safe for both residents and visitors. They also have low quality of life measures, like low education levels, many people without jobs, bad health results, and not many services or nice things around.
They also deal with problems like pollution, flooding, and parts of the land washing away. Wilmington city and different groups are trying to make these areas better and fix the main problems, but it’s taking a while and not happening the same way everywhere.
A lot more effort is needed to make these places better to live in and more successful for the people who live there.
