Cheswold, Delaware

Town in Kent County · population 1,923 (2020 Census)

Median home: $314,600
Household income: $86,875
Jan low / Jul high: 28° / 87°
Snow a year: 13 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 12
Median age: 45.6

Cheswold is a town of 1,923 people in Kent County, Delaware. The median home is worth $314,600, close to the typical Delaware town ($302,450).

Cheswold in our rankings:

#19 in The 19 Most Affordable Small Towns in Delaware

How Cheswold ranks

Percentile among Delaware towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Delaware towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Cheswold is worth $314,600, close to the typical Delaware town ($302,450). Homes cost about 3.6 times the median household income of $86,875, which is more affordable than 60% of Delaware towns. Median rent is $880 a month. 94.6% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Delaware towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Cheswold	Typical Delaware town
Median home value	$314,600	$302,450
Median rent	$880	$1,342
Median household income	$86,875	$78,707
Home value ÷ income	3.6×	3.8×
Homeownership	94.6%	72.0%
Median year built	2010	1987
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Cheswold

People	Cheswold	Typical Delaware town
Median age	45.6	39.5
Age 65 and over	23.6%	17.5%
Under 18	16.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.3%	32.5%
Below the poverty line	7.2%	8.4%
Veterans	10.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	12.2%	—
Work from home	18.5%	13.8%
Average commute	30.7 min	25.1 min
Homes with broadband	90.1%	93.0%

Weather in Cheswold

July highs average 86.9°F and January lows 27.6°F. About 47.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 13.2 inches of snow (typical Delaware town: 12.8 in). Expect about 25 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 79 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Dover station (6.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Cheswold since 1950, compared with 13 for the typical Delaware town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on August 4, 2020 about 2.2 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 2 deaths and 46 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on August 4, 2020.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 8 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on August 11, 1983.

Severe weather in Kent County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Kent County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 5 deaths recorded.

Kent County has been included in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 29, 2026	Winter Storm	DR-4916: Severe Winter Storm
October 2, 2020	Hurricane	DR-4566: Tropical Storm Isaias
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4526: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3449: Covid-19
November 16, 2012	Hurricane	DR-4090: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Kent County

Kent County had 71,071 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $57,464 a year. Unemployment was 4.5% in 2023; in Cheswold itself the ACS puts it at 7.2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Cheswold

Clayton, DE
4.4 mi · 3,961 people · home $361,300
Smyrna, DE
5.3 mi · 12,883 people · home $291,400
Dover, DE
5.4 mi · 39,403 people · home $258,900
Rodney Village, DE
6.8 mi · 1,489 people · home $167,200
Kent Acres, DE
7.2 mi · 2,144 people · home $241,600
Wyoming, DE
7.5 mi · 1,680 people · home $290,900
Highland Acres, DE
8.1 mi · 3,492 people · home $306,400
Camden, DE
8.5 mi · 3,715 people · home $300,100

Cheswold questions

Is Cheswold, Delaware a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Cheswold scores better for retirees than 34% of Delaware towns and quieter than 54%. 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 45.6).

How much does a house cost in Cheswold?

The median owner-occupied home in Cheswold is valued at $314,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $86,875, so homes cost about 3.6 times income. Median rent is $880 a month.

What is the weather like in Cheswold?

July highs average 86.9°F and January lows 27.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 47.6 inches of precipitation a year and 13.2 inches of snow.

Does Cheswold get tornadoes?

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Cheswold since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on August 4, 2020. The typical Delaware town has had 13.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Cheswold's Census boundary (GEOID 1014660). Comparisons use the median of Delaware towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.