Best PlacesNorthwest Wilmington, Wilmington, DE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington, 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.
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington ranks 3,358th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
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.
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 76% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 60 pleasant days a year, better than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $71,110, 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 Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington's effective rate of 0.83%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington.
Who works in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington, and how
Work in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington centers on transportation & warehousing and finance & insurance. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 67%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington has more parkland per resident than 95% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 29 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington, month by month
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington 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 Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 17 miles away.
The best schools in and around Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
Schools across Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington average a C−, better than 28% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Lombardy Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Carrcroft Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Mount Pleasant Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dupont (pierre S.) Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Springer Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Concord High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Mount Pleasant High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Brandywine High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington 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 Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington
Is Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington ranks 3,358th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state infrastructure, few empty homes, and civic engagement, and lowest on the weather and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $265,096. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $71,110 median income, cost of living beats 53% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington safe?
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington is safer than 26% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $600 per resident a year.
Compare Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington 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.
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest Wilmington, Wilmington 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.