In short
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $371,600 in Delaware and $245,100 in the city of Wilmington, against $360,600 nationwide (Census ACS 2024). On the FHFA index, Delaware prices up 3.3% and Wilmington-area prices up 2.1% from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026.
What it costs: median value in 2024
| Area | Median value, 2024 | Margin of error (90%) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $360,600 | ±$618 |
| Delaware | $371,600 | ±$4,972 |
| Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington metro area | $375,100 | ±$2,652 |
| New Castle County | $372,200 | ±$6,613 |
| City of Wilmington | $245,100 | ±$19,434 |
Source: Census ACS 2024, table B25077; owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.
Three points stand out:
- The Delaware median is $11,000 above the national median.
- The city of Wilmington sits $126,500 below the Delaware median and $130,000 below the Philadelphia-area metro median. The city is far cheaper than the county around it, whose median ($372,200) is almost the same as the state’s.
- The city figure carries a margin of error of ±$19,434, so Wilmington’s true median is very likely between about $225,700 and $264,500.
How prices have moved: the FHFA index
It is also the first release with purchase-only indexes for metro divisions. The division that contains the city is named Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ; it is the Wilmington part of the Philadelphia area, not the city alone.
| Area | 1-year change (Q2 2025 to Q2 2026) | 5-year change (Q2 2021 to Q2 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | +2.1% | +33.4% |
| Delaware | +3.3% | +37.3% |
| Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ metro division | +2.1% | +39.3% |
Source: FHFA HPI, purchase-only, Q2 2026 (release of August 25, 2026); changes by Payotte.
Delaware prices rose faster than the national index over the past year and over five years. The Wilmington division matched the nation over one year (+2.1%) and gained the most over five years (+39.3%).
A worked example
Take a home in the Wilmington area worth $245,000 in the second quarter of 2021. Tracking the Wilmington division index exactly, it would have been worth about $341,300 in the second quarter of 2026 (+39.3%). Over the last year alone, it would have gained about $7,100 (+2.1%). A single home can differ widely from the index.
How to use these figures when buying
Related: Delaware closing costs guide, buying a home in Wilmington and Delaware first-time buyer programs.
Method and dataset
ACS median value. ACS 1-Year 2024, table B25077. Geographies: United States (0100000US), Delaware (0400000US10), Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (310M700US37980), New Castle County (0500000US10003), Wilmington city (1600000US1077580). Read through the data.census.gov API on October 13, 2026.
FHFA index. FHFA HPI (purchase-only, seasonally adjusted), state series (Delaware), metro series (Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ metro division, code 48864) and U.S. series. Index values used: Delaware 336.48 (Q2 2025), 253.15 (Q2 2021) and 347.62 (Q2 2026); Wilmington division 330.76, 242.49 and 337.78; United States 426.58, 326.58 and 435.69.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median home value in Delaware?
Delaware’s 2024 ACS median home value is $371,600 (±$4,972), against $360,600 for the nation: owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.
What is the median home value in Wilmington?
For the city of Wilmington, the 2024 ACS median value is $245,100 (±$19,434). New Castle County is at $372,200 and the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington metro area at $375,100.
Are Delaware home prices going up or down?
FHFA’s purchase-only index shows Delaware prices rose 3.3% over the year to Q2 2026, and the Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ division rose 2.1%. Over five years, they rose 37.3% and 39.3%.
How Delaware compares with the other States
Delaware's median of $371,600 is within 5% of the national $360,600 and ranks 21st among the 50 States.
The States closest in median value are Alaska ($376,500) and Vermont ($352,800). The range runs from $170,800 in West Virginia to $875,900 in Hawaii; Delaware is $32,100 above the middle of that ranking (Wyoming).
On the FHFA index, Delaware prices rose 3.3% over the year to the second quarter of 2026, which places the State 20th of 50, 1.2 points ahead of the national +2.1%. Over five years the gain is +37.3% (24th of 50; nation +33.4%).
Delaware sits in the middle of the pack on at least one of the two measures: 21st for the level, 20th for the one-year change.
Over five years, Delaware's +37.3% annualises to +6.5% a year (nation +5.9%). The latest year (+3.3%) is 3.2 points under that average, a slower pace than the five-year average.
Wilmington, the main city, has a median of $245,100, 40th of the 49 main cities Payotte covers. That is 34% below the Delaware median, a discount that ranks 45th of 49.
The one-year FHFA change runs from -1.2% in New Mexico to +8.3% in Alaska. Delaware (+3.3%) is 5 points below the top and 4.5 above the bottom; Kansas (+3.3%) and Wyoming (+3.2%) are the nearest to it.
For scale, 20% of the Delaware median is $74,320, against $72,120 at the national median.
Compare with the other states: Median home price by state.
More Delaware guides
- Closing costs in Delaware: what buyers and sellers pay
- Delaware realty transfer tax: rates, who pays, first-time buyers
- Delaware property tax: assessment, school tax and senior credit
- What must a home seller disclose in Delaware?
- Do you need a real estate attorney to close in Delaware?
- How does foreclosure work in Delaware, and how long does it take?
- First-time home buyer programs in Delaware
- How to verify a real estate license in Delaware
Sources
- Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year 2024, table B25077 (consulted October 13, 2026)
- Census Bureau, 2025 ACS release schedule (consulted October 13, 2026)
- FHFA news release, August 25, 2026 (consulted October 13, 2026)
- FHFA HPI datasets (quarterly, purchase-only) (consulted October 13, 2026)