Moving to Fenwick Island: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Fenwick Island means moving to a real, tiny, extremely retiree-skewing beach town directly on the Delaware/Maryland state line.
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Learn moreA real border-town identity
Fenwick Island sits directly on the Delaware/Maryland line, immediately north of Ocean City, MD, marked by the genuine, historic 1858 Fenwick Island Lighthouse (base record).
A genuinely tiny, elderly year-round population
A 2026 population of approximately 409, a median age of 66.8 years, and a 94.6% homeownership rate together describe one of the most decisively retiree/second-home-dominated markets in this dataset (base record).
Dramatically expensive housing
A cited $1.39M median property value reflects real, structural oceanfront/oceanblock barrier-island lot scarcity (base record).
Delaware's real statewide tax advantage still applies
Delaware's flat 0% sales tax (no local option anywhere) applies in Fenwick Island as statewide, even alongside the town's own elevated property-tax-rate and insurance profile (base record).
Key takeaways
- Fenwick Island is Delaware's southernmost beach town, directly on the MD state line.
- A genuinely tiny, elderly year-round population (median age 66.8) with a 94.6% homeownership rate.
- Housing runs dramatically expensive -- a $1.39M median property value.
- Delaware's real, flat 0% statewide sales tax still applies here.
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