Updated for 2024 election data and ACS 2023 population estimates.
Delaware is a small state with only three counties, so ranking its “most conservative cities” requires a clear method. For this list, we used county-level 2024 presidential Republican vote share as a conservative proxy, then matched incorporated Census places to counties and filtered for places with at least 2,000 residents.
Under that method, every qualifying place is in Sussex County, where the 2024 Republican presidential vote share was 54.9%. That means this ranking is best understood as a list of larger incorporated places in Delaware’s most Republican-leaning county, not proof that each municipality individually voted 54.9% Republican.
Important caveat: This is a county-proxy ranking. The GOP percentage shown below is the county-level 2024 Republican presidential vote share, not city-level or precinct-level vote share. A more exact ranking would require municipal or precinct-level election results for each place.
How We Ranked Delaware’s Most Conservative Cities and Towns
We used four steps to build this list:
- Use county-level 2024 presidential Republican vote share as a conservative proxy.
- Map incorporated Census places to Delaware counties using 2024 Census TIGER/Line county boundaries and 2024 Census TIGER/Line place boundaries.
- Pull ACS 2023 5-year total population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS API.
- Filter for incorporated places with at least 2,000 residents and a county-level GOP vote share of at least 50%.
Places were ranked first by county GOP vote share, then by population. Since Sussex County was the only Delaware county in this dataset above 50% GOP, all qualifying places share the same 54.9% county GOP figure. The final order is therefore determined by population.
Most Conservative Cities and Towns in Delaware: Ranked
| Rank | City / Place | County | County GOP vote share, 2024 | ACS 2023 population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milford | Sussex | 54.9% | 12,193 |
| 2 | Seaford | Sussex | 54.9% | 8,255 |
| 3 | Georgetown | Sussex | 54.9% | 7,456 |
| 4 | Millsboro | Sussex | 54.9% | 7,152 |
| 5 | Laurel | Sussex | 54.9% | 4,043 |
| 6 | Milton | Sussex | 54.9% | 3,469 |
| 7 | Lewes | Sussex | 54.9% | 3,415 |
| 8 | Selbyville | Sussex | 54.9% | 3,005 |
| 9 | Ocean View | Sussex | 54.9% | 2,760 |
| 10 | Bridgeville | Sussex | 54.9% | 2,661 |
| 11 | Delmar | Sussex | 54.9% | 2,386 |
| 12 | Millville | Sussex | 54.9% | 2,059 |
Why Every Place on This List Is in Sussex County
Delaware has only three counties: New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. Under a county-level proxy method, the ranking depends heavily on county-level presidential voting patterns. Once the filter requires a GOP vote share of at least 50%, Sussex County is the only county that qualifies in this dataset.
That is why the list does not include places such as Dover, Newark, Middletown, or Wilmington. Those places may have conservative voters and conservative neighborhoods, but they do not fall within a county that meets the GOP-majority threshold used for this ranking.
1. Milford
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 12,193
Milford ranks first because it is the largest qualifying incorporated place in the dataset. Under this method, Milford is assigned to Sussex County and receives the county’s 54.9% GOP vote share.
Milford sits in southern Delaware and is roughly 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Dover and about 70 miles (113 km) south of Wilmington. Its size makes it the highest-ranked place once all Sussex County qualifying places are sorted by population.
The important limitation is that Milford’s ranking does not mean every precinct or neighborhood in Milford voted Republican by the same margin. It means Milford qualifies under a county-level proxy and has the largest ACS 2023 population among the qualifying places.
2. Seaford
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 8,255
Seaford ranks second because it is the second-largest qualifying incorporated place in Sussex County. Located in western Sussex County, Seaford is part of a region that often differs politically from more urban and northern parts of Delaware.
Seaford is approximately 38 miles (61 km) south of Dover and about 85 miles (137 km) south of Wilmington. Its population size places it ahead of Georgetown, Millsboro, Laurel, and other Sussex County towns in this ranking.
As with every place on this list, the 54.9% figure belongs to Sussex County as a whole. It should not be read as Seaford’s exact municipal vote share.
3. Georgetown
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 7,456
Georgetown ranks third under the county-proxy method. As the county seat of Sussex County, Georgetown is a central place in southern Delaware’s civic and administrative geography.
Georgetown is about 36 miles (58 km) south of Dover and roughly 85 miles (137 km) south of Wilmington. Its role as a county seat makes it especially relevant in a ranking based on Sussex County’s political profile.
The ranking reflects Georgetown’s location in Delaware’s GOP-majority county and its ACS 2023 population. A precinct-level analysis would be needed to determine how conservative Georgetown itself is compared with other Sussex County towns.
4. Millsboro
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 7,152
Millsboro ranks fourth. Its ACS 2023 population places it just behind Georgetown and ahead of Laurel. Like the rest of the list, it qualifies because it is an incorporated place in Sussex County and exceeds the 2,000-person population threshold.
Millsboro is about 45 miles (72 km) south of Dover and approximately 94 miles (151 km) south of Wilmington. It is located inland from Delaware’s beach communities and has grown as Sussex County has attracted more residents.
Because the ranking uses county-level data, Millsboro’s position should be read as a population-based rank among qualifying Sussex County places, not a direct measure of its municipal election results.
5. Laurel
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 4,043
Laurel ranks fifth among Delaware’s qualifying conservative-proxy places. It is smaller than Millsboro, Georgetown, Seaford, and Milford, but still above the 2,000-person threshold used for this ranking.
Laurel is roughly 43 miles (69 km) south of Dover and about 91 miles (146 km) south of Wilmington. Its location in western Sussex County places it within the same county-level political environment as Seaford, Delmar, and Bridgeville.
Laurel’s ranking comes from its county assignment and population. To make a stronger claim about Laurel’s own political leaning, the next step would be to compare election district or precinct-level results for the town itself.
6. Milton
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 3,469
Milton ranks sixth. It is a smaller incorporated place in Sussex County, but still large enough to meet the population threshold.
Milton is approximately 32 miles (51 km) southeast of Dover and about 78 miles (126 km) south of Wilmington. It sits near Delaware’s coastal region, where local politics can be more mixed than a county-level number suggests.
That matters because the county-proxy method can hide local variation. Milton qualifies because Sussex County crossed the GOP-majority threshold, not because this analysis measured Milton’s own precinct-level vote.
7. Lewes
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 3,415
Lewes ranks seventh by population among qualifying Sussex County places. Its inclusion is a good example of why the caveat matters. A county-level ranking can include places whose local politics may differ from the broader county pattern.
Lewes is about 41 miles (66 km) southeast of Dover and approximately 88 miles (142 km) south of Wilmington. As a coastal community, Lewes may have different local political dynamics from inland Sussex County towns.
For that reason, Lewes should not be described as one of Delaware’s most conservative municipalities without more granular election data. In this ranking, it is included because it is a qualifying incorporated place in Sussex County.
8. Selbyville
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 3,005
Selbyville ranks eighth. It qualifies as an incorporated Sussex County place with more than 2,000 residents and therefore receives the county-level GOP proxy score.
Selbyville is roughly 58 miles (93 km) south of Dover and about 106 miles (171 km) south of Wilmington. Its location near the Maryland line places it in the southern part of Sussex County.
The ranking does not claim that Selbyville’s own vote share was 54.9% Republican. It means Selbyville falls within the county that met the conservative proxy threshold.
9. Ocean View
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 2,760
Ocean View ranks ninth in the dataset. It is one of the smaller qualifying places, but its ACS 2023 population remains above the 2,000-person cutoff.
Ocean View is about 55 miles (89 km) south of Dover and approximately 103 miles (166 km) south of Wilmington. Like Lewes, it is close to Delaware’s coastal communities, which may not always match county-level political assumptions.
Because this is a county-proxy ranking, Ocean View’s inclusion should be interpreted carefully. The result says more about Sussex County’s 2024 presidential vote than about Ocean View’s exact municipal vote.
10. Bridgeville
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 2,661
Bridgeville ranks tenth. It was included in the earlier version of the article, but the updated ranking changes its position because the new method compares all qualifying Sussex County places by population.
Bridgeville is approximately 30 miles (48 km) south of Dover and around 78 miles (126 km) south of Wilmington. It is located in western Sussex County, between larger places such as Seaford and smaller towns such as Delmar.
The updated article should avoid unsupported claims about Bridgeville being Democratic-leaning or Republican-leaning unless those claims are backed by precinct-level data. Under this method, Bridgeville qualifies because it is in Sussex County and has more than 2,000 residents.
11. Delmar
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 2,386
Delmar ranks eleventh. It sits on the Delaware-Maryland border and qualifies because of its Sussex County assignment and ACS 2023 population.
Delmar is about 50 miles (80 km) south of Dover and roughly 98 miles (158 km) south of Wilmington. Its border location gives it a different geographic context from northern Delaware places such as Wilmington, Newark, and Middletown.
As with the rest of the list, the county GOP percentage should not be treated as Delmar’s exact city-level result. It is a county-level proxy.
12. Millville
County: Sussex County
County GOP vote share, 2024: 54.9%
ACS 2023 population: 2,059
Millville ranks twelfth and is the smallest qualifying place in the dataset. Its population is just above the 2,000-person threshold.
Millville is roughly 54 miles (87 km) south of Dover and about 102 miles (164 km) south of Wilmington. It is located in southeastern Sussex County, near Delaware’s coastal area.
Millville’s inclusion depends on the same rule as every other place here: it is an incorporated place in Sussex County with enough residents to pass the population filter.
What This Ranking Can and Cannot Tell You
What it can tell you
This ranking can show which larger incorporated places are located in Delaware’s most Republican-leaning county, using 2024 presidential vote share as the political proxy. It is useful for understanding Delaware’s broad political geography, especially the difference between Sussex County and the rest of the state.
What it cannot tell you
This ranking cannot prove that each city or town individually voted Republican by 54.9%. It also cannot measure the political beliefs of every resident. Local elections, precinct-level presidential results, party registration, campaign donations, and turnout patterns could all change the order if they were available and applied consistently.
Why Harrington Is Not on the Updated List
Harrington appeared in the earlier version of this article, but it does not appear in the updated table because this version uses a strict county-proxy method. Harrington is in Kent County, and Kent County does not meet the GOP-majority county threshold used for this ranking.
That does not mean Harrington has no conservative voters. It only means Harrington does not qualify under this article’s updated methodology.
Best Way to Improve This Ranking in the Future
The next improvement would be to replace county-level GOP vote share with precinct-level or election-district-level results. That would make the ranking much more precise because Delaware cities and towns do not always match countywide political patterns.
A stronger future version would compare each place using:
- 2024 presidential vote share by precinct or election district
- 2020 presidential vote share for trend comparison
- Registered voter totals by party
- Local elected officials and municipal election results
- Campaign contributions by ZIP code or municipality
Until then, this list should be read as a transparent county-proxy analysis of Delaware’s conservative-leaning places.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most conservative city in Delaware?
Using this county-level proxy method, Milford ranks first because it is the largest qualifying incorporated place in Sussex County, Delaware’s GOP-majority county in the 2024 presidential results used for this analysis.
Are all of Delaware’s most conservative cities in Sussex County?
Under this method, yes. Because the filter requires a county-level GOP vote share of at least 50%, only Sussex County places qualify.
Does 54.9% mean each city voted Republican by that amount?
No. The 54.9% figure is the county-level Republican vote share for Sussex County in the 2024 presidential election data used here. It is not the municipal vote share for each city or town.
Why does the ranking include towns as well as cities?
The ranking uses incorporated Census places, not only municipalities formally called “cities.” That is why the article refers to “cities and towns” throughout the analysis.
Would the ranking change with precinct-level data?
Possibly. Precinct-level results would likely produce a more accurate city-level ranking and could change the order, especially for coastal or politically mixed communities.
Sources and Method Notes
This ranking uses county-level 2024 presidential GOP vote share from the election dataset, Census TIGER/Line geography files, and ACS 2023 5-year population estimates. Public data sources used for the geographic and population components include the 2024 TIGER/Line county file, the 2024 TIGER/Line Delaware place file, and the ACS 2023 5-year place population API. For election reporting context, see the Delaware Department of Elections 2024 General Election Report.