Best Places19954, DE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 19954, 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.
19954 ranks 14,864th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 19954
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.
19954's strengths and weaknesses
Where 19954 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 19954 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Short commute32.3 minutes each way, better than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 19954
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 19954 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,818, 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 19954's effective rate of 0.33%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 19954
19954's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 19954.
Who works in 19954, and how
Work in 19954 centers on retail trade and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 19954
The coast is about 23 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 19954, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 19954, month by month
19954 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 19954
The nearest airport, Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional, is about 39 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, about 65 miles away.
The best schools in and around 19954
Schools across 19954 average a C−, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Phillis Wheatley Elementary SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
- Lake Forest South Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Banneker (benjamin) Elementary SchoolD · 16% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chipman (w.t.) Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Milford Central AcademyD+ · 24% proficient
- Woodbridge Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Lake Forest High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Milford Senior High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Woodbridge High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 19954 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
19954 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 19954 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 19954
Is 19954 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 19954 ranks 14,864th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low property taxes, and low crime, and lowest on walkability and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 19954 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $299,866. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $77,818 median income, cost of living beats 50% of zip codes.
Is 19954 safe?
Yes, 19954 is safer than 93% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $156 per resident a year.
Compare 19954 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 19954. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 19954 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.
19954 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 19954: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 19954: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 19954: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 19954: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
19954 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.