Moving to Delaware: City Guides, Checklist & Tips
Updated July 2026
Delaware charges no sales tax — one of five states without one — and pairs it with some of the lowest effective property taxes in the country, against a progressive income tax that tops out at 6.6% on taxable income over $60,000. The typical home runs about $398,000 as of mid-2026, per Zillow, and recent Census data shows most new arrivals coming from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey — neighbors trading higher costs for the tax math. The state's military anchor is Dover Air Force Base, the largest aerial port complex on the East Coast. The whole state runs about 100 miles top to bottom, so no address is far from the Wilmington job market or the Atlantic beaches. This hub collects our city-by-city relocation guides for Delaware, plus the practical steps to become a resident.
Delaware City Guides
Wilmington
Delaware's largest city and its corporate-banking hub, on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor about 30 minutes from Philadelphia.
Guide coming soonDover
The state capital and home of Dover Air Force Base, the largest aerial port complex on the East Coast.
Guide coming soon
Delaware Living and Vacationing Quick Reference
Living here
- State income tax
- Progressive, topping out at 6.6% on taxable income over $60,000 — the first $2,000 is untaxed
- Sales tax
- None — Delaware charges no state or local sales tax, on anything
- Median home price
- About $398,000 statewide as of mid-2026, per Zillow — beach towns like Lewes run well above that
- Cost of living
- Close to the national average by most 2026 indexes — and the no-sales-tax, low-property-tax combination stretches a paycheck further than the sticker suggests
- Driver's license deadline
- 60 days after taking up residence, per the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles
- Population
- Just over 1 million — the sixth-least-populous state, spread across just three counties
Visiting first
- Main airport
- Philadelphia International (PHL), about 30 minutes from Wilmington — Delaware has no major commercial airport of its own
- National parks
- None of the traditional kind — First State National Historical Park arrived in 2013, ending Delaware's long run as the last state without a National Park Service unit
- Best scouting months
- May through June and September — beach weather at Rehoboth and Lewes without the peak-season crowds
- The "nothing there" myth, honestly
- It undersells a state where every purchase is sales-tax-free, a large share of Fortune 500 companies are legally incorporated, and the Atlantic beaches draw the whole mid-Atlantic every summer
- One of a kind
- The whole state runs about 100 miles top to bottom — Wilmington to the beach towns is under two hours by car
- Getting around
- A car covers everything, and the connections north are strong: Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and SEPTA commuter rail both stop at Wilmington
How Delaware Got Its Name
Delaware is named for a man who likely never saw it. In 1610, an English ship captain sheltering in the great bay named it for Sir Thomas West, third Baron De La Warr — then the governor of Virginia — and the name spread from the bay to the river, to the Lenape people the English called the Delaware Indians, and finally to the state. Delaware's other title, the First State, is earned: it ratified the Constitution first, on December 7, 1787. Its military centerpiece is Dover Air Force Base, opened as an Army airfield in 1941 and now the largest aerial port complex on the East Coast, launching C-5 and C-17 cargo missions worldwide.
How to Become a Delaware Resident
Establishing residency unlocks a Delaware driver's license, vehicle registration, in-state tuition, and resident access to state parks and programs. You establish residency in Delaware by doing any one of the following — you don't need all of them:
- Renting or buying a home in Delaware
- Working for a Delaware employer
- Registering to vote in Delaware
- Operating a business located in Delaware
- Enrolling children in a Delaware primary or secondary school
- Spending more than 183 days of the year in Delaware
Delaware Moving Checklist
- Transfer your driver's license and register your vehicle — deadline in the quick reference above
- Register to vote at your new address
- Set up utilities — Delmarva Power covers most of the state, with municipal utilities in some towns
- File your change of address with USPS
- Transfer medical and dental records and find new providers
- Review the tax picture: no sales tax and low property taxes, but a progressive income tax that reaches 6.6% at $60,000 — plan withholding accordingly
Questions Movers Ask About Delaware
Does Delaware really have no sales tax?
Yes. Delaware charges no state or local sales tax on any purchase — it is one of only five states without one, and the only one in the mid-Atlantic. That is why shoppers cross from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey for big-ticket buys. The state makes up the revenue elsewhere, chiefly through corporate franchise fees and a gross receipts tax paid by businesses, not at the register.
How expensive is it to live in Delaware?
Close to the national average, with tax math working in your favor. The typical home value is about $398,000 as of mid-2026, per Zillow, though beach towns like Lewes run well above that and Dover sits below it. No sales tax plus some of the lowest effective property taxes in the country means the recurring costs undercut neighboring Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
How long do I have to get a Delaware driver's license after moving?
60 days. Delaware law requires anyone taking up residence who wants to drive to apply to the Division of Motor Vehicles within 60 days. You apply in person at one of four DMV offices — Wilmington, Delaware City, Dover, or Georgetown — and the written and road tests are normally waived if your out-of-state license is valid.
What is the military presence in Delaware?
Dover Air Force Base is the anchor — the largest aerial port complex on the East Coast, flying C-5 and C-17 cargo missions worldwide, with the 436th Airlift Wing as host. Dover also carries one of the military's most solemn missions: the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, where the nation receives its fallen service members with full honors. For families PCSing in, the base community treats that mission with visible care and pride.
Is there anything to do in Delaware?
More than the jokes suggest. The Atlantic beach towns — Rehoboth, Lewes, Bethany — draw visitors from the whole mid-Atlantic, and every purchase in the state is sales-tax-free, which is why the Rehoboth outlets exist. Wilmington sits on the Northeast Corridor 30 minutes from Philadelphia, and the du Pont estates — Winterthur, Nemours, Longwood just over the Pennsylvania line — are a genuine museum circuit.
Which Delaware city should I move to?
It depends on what you are optimizing for. Wilmington has the deeper job market — corporate, banking, and legal work — plus Amtrak and SEPTA rail to Philadelphia and the whole Northeast Corridor. Dover offers lower housing costs, state-government employment, and Dover Air Force Base; military families will almost certainly land there. Beach-bound retirees usually look further south, toward Lewes and Rehoboth, where prices climb well above the state median.
Moving to Delaware from Another State?
We compare the two states side by side — taxes, housing, and what changes on day one:
Sources and Data Notes
Residency options, license and vehicle-registration deadlines, and tax rates on this page reflect requirements published by the Delaware DMV and the Delaware Division of Revenue. Cost, housing, and job-market figures draw on the public datasets used across ScoutLocale's city guides, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BestPlaces.net, and Niche.com.
Comparing states? Browse moving guides for every state.