Safest places to live in Delaware
The counties and cities with the lowest natural disaster risk, ranked from FEMA's National Risk Index and checked against storm, hurricane and earthquake records.
Kent County has the lowest natural disaster risk in Delaware, followed by Sussex County and New Castle County. At the other end, New Castle County carries the highest risk in the state, mostly from inland flooding. Ranks use FEMA's overall risk score, which weighs expected yearly losses against how vulnerable and how resilient each county is.
Lowest-risk counties
All 3 counties ›181,705 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 25 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 15 federal declarations.2Sussex County
237,214 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 28 tornadoes since 1950, 6 hurricanes within 65 miles, 18 federal declarations.3New Castle County
570,089 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 28 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 15 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Kent County, 39,837 people2Wilmington
New Castle County, 71,727 people3Newark
New Castle County, 30,330 people
Cities with 25,000 or more people. The rating is for the county the city is in.
Highest-risk counties
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 28 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 15 federal declarations.2Sussex County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 28 tornadoes since 1950, 6 hurricanes within 65 miles, 18 federal declarations.3Kent County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 25 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 15 federal declarations.
Before you move
A county rating is an average. Inside any county, homes near rivers, coasts or steep slopes carry more risk than the rest. Look up the exact address with our flood zone lookup, ask the seller about past flood or storm claims, and get an insurance quote before you commit.
Questions
What is the safest county in Delaware from natural disasters?
Kent County has the lowest overall risk score in Delaware, rated moderate by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in Delaware from natural disasters?
Dover sits in Kent County, which has the lowest risk score of any Delaware county containing a city of 25,000 or more people. County ratings cover the whole county, so check the flood zone of any address you are considering.
Which counties in Delaware have the highest disaster risk?
New Castle County, Sussex County and Kent County have the highest overall risk scores in the state.
Does a low rating mean no disasters?
No. A low rating means lower expected losses compared with other US counties, after accounting for how many people and buildings are exposed and how well the area recovers. Floods and severe storms can happen anywhere, and most flood claims come from outside mapped high-risk zones.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); NOAA Storm Events and HURDAT2; USGS earthquake catalog; OpenFEMA declarations since 1953.