Best Places19709, DE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 19709, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
19709 ranks 2,200th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 19709
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
19709's strengths and weaknesses
Where 19709 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$139,269 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 19709 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 60 pleasant days a year, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Short commute31.3 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,109 a month, better than only 24% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 19709
A household needs to earn about $121,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 19709 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $139,269, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 19709's effective rate of 0.67%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 19709
19709's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 19709.
Who works in 19709, and how
Work in 19709 centers on health care & social and finance & insurance. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 19709
19709 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 71% of zip codes. The coast is about 13 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 19709 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 19709, month by month
19709 sees roughly 60 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 72° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 19709
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 36 miles away.
The best schools in and around 19709
Schools across 19709 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cedar Lane Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Lorewood Grove Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Bunker Hill Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Waters (alfred G.) Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Meredith (everett) Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Redding (louis L.) Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Appoquinimink High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Middletown High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- St. Georges Technical High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 19709 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
19709 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 19709 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 19709 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 96% of zip codes and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 19709
Is 19709 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 19709 ranks 2,200th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, state infrastructure, and what local pay buys, and lowest on the weather and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 19709 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $471,555. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $139,269 median income, cost of living beats 96% of zip codes.
Is 19709 safe?
Yes, 19709 is safer than 66% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $245 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 19709?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 26. That works out to about 60 pleasant days a year, more than 8% of zip codes.
Is 19709 good for families?
Schools beat 60% of zip codes, crime safety beats 66%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Compare 19709 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 19709. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 19709 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
19709 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 19709: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 19709: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 19709: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 19709: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
19709 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.