Hartly, DE · standard

ZIP Code 19953

Kent County, Delaware — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

Reviewed by PlainZIP Editorial Team, ZIP Code Data Editors · June 13, 2026

4,386
58/sq mi: $81,792
Median income: $246,700
Median home value: 16.1%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Hartly pairs an above-median household income with above-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 36%
household income, US ZIPs: Top 43%
home value, US ZIPs: 58
people per sq mi: 78%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 19953 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 19953 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 75.9 square miles in Hartly, Kent County, Delaware. The area is home to 4,386 residents, producing a population density of 58 people per square mile, and falls within the New York time zone. These USPS and Census boundary values drive every downstream statistic on this page, including the benchmarks that compare 19953 against Delaware and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 19953 sits at $81,792 (9% below the Delaware average), while per-capita income is $32,877. The poverty rate stands at 6.2% and the unemployment rate at 13.6%. On housing, the median home value is $246,700 (35% below the state average) with median rent at $1,157 per month, and 78.3% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 19953 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 16.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 33.6, and the average commute is 34 minutes. We also surface 10 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Kent County, so you can benchmark 19953 against its immediate geography rather than a national average alone. Every figure is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, HUD Fair Market Rents, and FHFA Home Price Index data, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with HUD →

Top industries in ZIP 19953

Construction

22
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

7
Retail trade

6
Transportation and warehousing

5

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 + HUD FMR + FHFA HPI ACS demographics, ZBP business establishments, HUD Fair Market Rents, FHFA HPI for ZIP 19953, Hartly, DE · 2023 Accessed 2026-06-13 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; HUD FMR + FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

4,386

Population

75.9

Area (sq mi)

People / sq mi

New York

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard

Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.

View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 19953?

33.6

Median Age

53.6%

Male

46.4%

Female

3.2%

Foreign-Born

White 78.5%

African American 2.2%

Asian 0.0%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.9%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 18.4%

Hispanic or Latino 6.4%

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?

$81,792

Median Household Income

-9% vs state

$32,877

Per Capita Income

6.2%

Poverty Rate

13.6%

Unemployment Rate

34.2 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 19953 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income — the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$81,792 Top 36% higher than 64% of 30,318 US ZIPs

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 59.2%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 16.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

1,954

Total Housing Units

1,841

Occupied Units

113

Vacant Units

2.85

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 78.3%

Renter 21.7%

$246,700

Median Home Value

-35% vs state

$1,157

Median Rent

1991

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

+2.2%

YoY Change (2024)

275

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+175%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 19953 have increased 2.2% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +175% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+0.6%	187
2021	+11.2%	208
2022	+13.1%	236
2023	+14.2%	269
2024	+2.2%	275

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 51 business establishments in ZIP 19953, employing approximately 236 people with a combined annual payroll of $9,441,000.

Businesses

236

Employees

$9.4M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Construction	22	43.1%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	7	13.7%
Retail trade	6	11.8%
Transportation and warehousing	5	9.8%

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 19953 vs 19964 →

19904

34,132
19934

12,805
19938

8,357
19953

4,386
21649

1,858
21640

1,632
19964

1,340
21636

1,186
19979

632

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 19953 ranks #4 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

19938

$99,596
19964

$99,402
19934

$87,125
19953

$81,792
21636

$73,426
19979

$72,361
21649

$68,542
19904

$66,908
21640

$53,558

What this shows By household income, ZIP 19953 ranks #4 of 9 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
19964	Marydel, DE	1,340	4.5 mi
21649	Marydel, MD	1,858	4.1 mi
19955	Kenton, DE	72	5.3 mi
19938	Clayton, DE	8,357	7.3 mi
19904	Dover, DE	34,132	5.7 mi
19934	Camden Wyoming, DE	12,805	6.0 mi
19936	Cheswold, DE	302	7.6 mi
21640	Henderson, MD	1,632	8.6 mi
19979	Viola, DE	632	9.8 mi
21636	Goldsboro, MD	1,186	10.5 mi

More ZIP Codes in Kent County

Kent County Hartly, DE Delaware

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 19953 in? ▼

ZIP code 19953 (Hartly) is located in Kent County, Delaware. Kent County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/kent-de.

What is the population of ZIP code 19953? ▼

ZIP code 19953 in Hartly, DE has a population of 4,386 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 19953? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 19953 is $81,792, which is 7% above the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 19953? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 19953 is $246,700, which is 11% below the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 19953? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 19953 is White at 78.5%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 6.4% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 19953? ▼

ZIP code 19953 has 51 business establishments employing approximately 236 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 19953? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 19953 are: Construction (22), Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services (7), Retail trade (6). There are 4 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 19953? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 19953 increased by 2.2% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 175%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What is the education level in ZIP code 19953? ▼

In ZIP code 19953, 59.2% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 16.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).

What is the average commute time in ZIP 19953? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 19953 is 34.2 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.

What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 19953? ▼

In ZIP code 19953, approximately 78.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 21.7% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 19953? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 19953 is 6.2% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.