Wilmington, DE · standard
ZIP Code 19803
New Castle County, Delaware - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 21,364
- 655/sq mi
- $135,218
- Median income
- $457,200
- Median home value
- 60.9%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Wilmington pairs a top-decile household income with upper-quartile home values, in a low-density, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 6%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 16%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 655
- people per sq mi
- 89%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 19803 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 19803 (Wilmington, DE) rose +5.0% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 230.3 in 2023 to 241.8 in 2024 (2000 = 100).
ZIP code 19803 is a densely settled ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, with 21,364 residents across 32.6 square miles, a density of 655 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 19803 skews affluent, with a median household income of $135,218 (51% above the average Delaware ZIP), while per-capita income is $70,999. The poverty rate is 2.0%, with unemployment at 5.4%; those measures add context to the income figure. Housing is both higher-cost and owner-heavy: median home value is $457,200 (21% above the average Delaware ZIP), while 89.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and median rent is $1,722.
This is a highly-educated ZIP: 60.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 46.4, and the average commute is 23 minutes. The page also surfaces 10 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in New Castle County, so 19803 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 19803
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Wilmington, DE
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 19803.
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
Professional, scientific, and technical services
153 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
152 establishments
- Health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance
120 establishments
- Finance and insurance
Finance and insurance
115 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
103 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 19803, Wilmington, DE · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
21,364
Population
32.6
Area (sq mi)
655
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 19803?
46.4
Median Age
51.4%
Male
48.6%
Female
7.6%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$135,218
Median Household Income
+51% vs state ZIP avg
$70,999
Per Capita Income
2.0%
Poverty Rate
5.4%
Unemployment Rate
23.1 min
Mean Commute Time
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
8,831
Total Housing Units
8,679
Occupied Units
152
Vacant Units
2.49
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$457,200
Median Home Value
+21% vs state ZIP avg
$1,722
Median Rent
1960
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
+5.0%
YoY Change (2024)
242
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+142%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 19803 have increased 5.0% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +142% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +2.5% | 172 |
| 2021 | +9.1% | 188 |
| 2022 | +10.8% | 208 |
| 2023 | +10.7% | 230 |
| 2024 | +5.0% | 242 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 1,108 business establishments in ZIP 19803, employing approximately 27,716 people with a combined annual payroll of $2,694,812,000.
1,108
Businesses
27,716
Employees
$2.7B
Annual Payroll
16
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 153 | 13.8% |
| Retail trade | 152 | 13.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 120 | 10.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 115 | 10.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 103 | 9.3% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 82 | 7.4% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 78 | 7.0% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 76 | 6.9% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 63 | 5.7% |
| Construction | 37 | 3.3% |
| Information | 33 | 3.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 30 | 2.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 23 | 2.1% |
| Manufacturing | 18 | 1.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 11 | 1.0% |
| Educational services | 11 | 1.0% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 19803 vs 19732 →
ZIP 19803 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 19810
Wilmington (19810)
25,011 residents
- 19802
Wilmington (19802)
24,621 residents
- 19803
Wilmington (19803)
21,364 residents
- 19801
Wilmington (19801)
16,286 residents
- 19703
Claymont (19703)
14,471 residents
- 19809
Wilmington (19809)
14,049 residents
- 19806 9,560
Wilmington (19806)
9,560 residents
- 19807 7,405
Wilmington (19807)
7,405 residents
- 19710 41
Montchanin (19710)
41 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 19803 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 19803 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 19732
Rockland (19732)
$236,000 median income
- 19807
Wilmington (19807)
$153,341 median income
- 19803
Wilmington (19803)
$135,218 median income
- 19810
Wilmington (19810)
$112,775 median income
- 19806 $88,855
Wilmington (19806)
$88,855 median income
- 19809 $81,288
Wilmington (19809)
$81,288 median income
- 19703 $76,939
Claymont (19703)
$76,939 median income
- 19802 $53,812
Wilmington (19802)
$53,812 median income
- 19801 $52,810
Wilmington (19801)
$52,810 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 19803 ranks #3 of 9 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19732 | Rockland, DE | 25 | 1.9 mi |
| 19710 | Montchanin, DE | 41 | 2.5 mi |
| 19810 | Wilmington, DE | 25,011 | 2.3 mi |
| 19802 | Wilmington, DE | 24,621 | 3.1 mi |
| 19806 | Wilmington, DE | 9,560 | 2.8 mi |
| 19735 | Winterthur, DE | 12 | 3.2 mi |
| 19807 | Wilmington, DE | 7,405 | 3.6 mi |
| 19801 | Wilmington, DE | 16,286 | 4.9 mi |
| 19809 | Wilmington, DE | 14,049 | 3.5 mi |
| 19703 | Claymont, DE | 14,471 | 4.5 mi |