Best Places19943, DE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 19943, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
19943 ranks 12,472nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 19943
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.
19943's strengths and weaknesses
Where 19943 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 19943 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
- Short commute28.3 minutes each way, better than only 37% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 19943
A household needs to earn about $76,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 19943 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,828, 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 19943's effective rate of 0.36%, 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 19943
19943 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 19943.
Who works in 19943, and how
Work in 19943 centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 19943
The coast is about 20 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 19943, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 19943, month by month
19943 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 45° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 72° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 19943
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, about 60 miles away.
The best schools in and around 19943
Schools across 19943 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lake Forest East Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Lake Forest North Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Lake Forest Central Elementary SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top middle schools
- F. Niel Postlethwait Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Fred Fifer Iii Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Chipman (w.t.) Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Caesar Rodney High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Lake Forest High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 19943 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
19943 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 19943 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 19943
Is 19943 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 19943 ranks 12,472nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low property taxes, and big-city access, 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 19943 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $309,650. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $78,828 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 19943 safe?
Yes, 19943 is safer than 75% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $218 per resident a year.
Compare 19943 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 19943. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 19943 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.
19943 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 19943: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 19943: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 19943: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 19943: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
19943 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.