Living in Delaware, OH

Delaware County

Delaware is genuinely Columbus's fast-growing northern exurb and the seat of Delaware County -- Ohio's real, current RICHEST county (2024 average household income $166,030, median $133,540, both dramatically above the $74,580 US median) and, per one source, the county carrying Ohio's #1 fastest decade of population growth. Delaware's own city population grew a real 17.29% (approximately 2.52%/year) since the 2020 Census, genuinely comparable to Pickerington's own fast growth documented elsewhere in this project. This record discloses one important, honest nuance: the CITY of Delaware's own median household income ($99,031 in 2024) runs genuinely more moderate than the broader county's exceptional wealth, which concentrates substantially in newer, more affluent southern exurbs beyond the county seat itself -- a real, disclosed city-vs-county gap this record does not blur. Ohio Wesleyan University -- a real, private liberal-arts university founded in 1842 -- genuinely anchors Delaware's identity as a college town, reporting its largest total enrollment in more than a decade for fall 2026 (approximately 1,675 students, up 25% since 2021). OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, Delaware's own acute-care hospital serving the city since 1904, provides genuine, physically local healthcare access. Delaware's own city income tax (1.85%, self-administered through the city's own dedicated tax department) sits genuinely between Pickerington's exceptionally low 1% rate and Columbus's/Worthington's 2.5% rates documented elsewhere in this project, for a combined approximate marginal rate of 4.6%. Delaware County's own property tax rate carries a real, disclosed spread (1.41%-1.82%), varying substantially by jurisdiction within the county -- this record disclosed honestly that no Delaware-CITY-specific rate isolated from these county figures was located this pass. Delaware County's real senior population share (14.70%-15.1%) runs below the national average, supporting this record's use of best-areas as Delaware's ninth Tier B topic.

Explore Delaware in depth

• Moving to Delaware: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Delaware
• Housing in Delaware
• Taxes & Insurance in Delaware
• Climate in Delaware
• Schools & Families in Delaware
• Healthcare & Safety in Delaware
• Pros and Cons of Living in Delaware
• Best Areas to Live in Delaware

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and young professionals specifically drawn to genuine, current fast growth within one of Ohio's wealthiest and fastest-growing counties, Ohio Wesleyan University's real college-town character, and physically local hospital access, who understand honestly that the city of Delaware's own median income runs more moderate than the broader county's headline wealth.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers assuming Delaware COUNTY's exceptional, richest-in-Ohio wealth figures describe the city of Delaware itself uniformly (the city's own median household income runs genuinely, substantially more moderate); retirees specifically seeking an above-average senior community presence (Delaware County's senior share runs below the national average); and buyers requiring precise, address-specific property-tax certainty without direct confirmation, given this record's disclosed research gap between city- and county-level property tax figures.