crimebycounty

County safety report

Sussex County Crime & Safety Report

FBI UCR violent crime, property crime, total crime rate, and safety score for Sussex County, Delaware.

Primary safety signal

25

out of 100, higher means lower reported crime

Rating

Elevated Reported Crime

Total crime

1844.9

State rank

#1

Violent crime

328.3

per 100K residents

Near national average

Property crime

1516.6

per 100K residents

Near national average

Total crime

1844.9

per 100K residents

Near national average

State rank

#1

of 3 scored counties

1 = safest in state

Crime Statistics

Safety score

25

Elevated Reported Crime

Higher scores indicate lower reported county-level crime.

Total crime rate

FBI UCR incidents per 100,000 residents, compared with the national benchmark.

1844.9

Near national average

National total crime benchmark: 2335.1 per 100K

Violent crime

328.3

National avg 380.7

Property crime

1516.6

National avg 1954.4

State rank

#1

of 3 counties, 1 = safest

State average safety score: 16/100. State average total crime rate: 2392.0 per 100K.

Local interpretation

What the crime data means for Sussex County

These reads compare Sussex County with Delaware county averages and national FBI UCR benchmarks. They are county-level signals, not neighborhood-level guarantees.

Safety score

25/100

9 points above the Delaware county average

State rank

#1

of 3 scored Delaware counties, where #1 is safest

Safer than

67%

of scored counties in Delaware by safety score

Reporting

Partial

23 agencies in the current record

Benchmark table

Rates are incidents per 100,000 residents.

MetricSussex CountyDelaware avgU.S. benchmarkRead
Total crime1844.92392.02335.121% below national benchmark.
Violent crime328.3403.0380.714% below national benchmark.
Property crime1516.61989.01954.422% below national benchmark.

Crime mix

Property crime drives the profile

Property crime accounts for the larger reported rate at 1516.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with 328.3 for violent crime.

Property crime share82%
Violent crime share18%

Reporting quality

Partial reporting coverage

Some local agencies are represented, but the dataset may not include every agency serving the county.

23 reporting agencies are represented for 2022. Use the rates as a directional county benchmark and verify city-level police data before making a decision.

How to use this county report

Verify neighborhood property risk

County-level property crime is not a block-level measure. Check city or sheriff incident maps for the specific address area.

Read violent crime as a county benchmark

The violent-crime rate is useful for county comparison, but it does not replace neighborhood-level data or recent local incident trends.

Use the state rank as a first filter

The state rank helps screen counties quickly. Pair it with housing, schools, health, and risk data before making a move or investment decision.

Account for reporting limits

Some local agencies are represented, but the dataset may not include every agency serving the county.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reported crime rate in Sussex County, DE?
Sussex County reports a total crime rate of 1844.9 incidents per 100,000 residents in the available FBI UCR dataset. The record is marked partial coverage with 23 reporting agencies for 2022.
How does Sussex County compare with the Delaware average?
Sussex County's total crime rate is 1844.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with an unweighted Delaware county average of 2392.0. It is 23% below delaware county average.
How does Sussex County compare with the national benchmark?
Sussex County's total crime rate is 21% below national benchmark. Violent crime is 14% below national benchmark. and property crime is 22% below national benchmark.
What does the safety score mean for Sussex County?
Sussex County has a safety score of 25/100, labeled Elevated reported crime. It ranks #1 out of 3 scored counties in Delaware, where #1 is the safest reported county. The score is a comparative index derived from reported county-level crime rates, not a promise that every neighborhood has the same risk profile.
Is violent crime or property crime the larger signal in Sussex County?
Property crime accounts for the larger reported rate at 1516.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with 328.3 for violent crime.
What does partial FBI coverage mean for Sussex County?
Some local agencies are represented, but the dataset may not include every agency serving the county. 23 reporting agencies are represented for 2022. Use the rates as a directional county benchmark and verify city-level police data before making a decision.

Counties with Similar Safety Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Crime data sourced from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (UCR) and County Health Rankings. Safety scores are derived composite metrics.

Data is informational only. Not legal or security advice. Coverage varies by county and reporting year.