SEO Market Map · Delaware · 5 cities · 12 trades

Today’s SEO forecast for Delaware.

Delaware ranks 12th of 14 states for search competition, at 43 against a median of 54 across the 14 states measured so far. Its hardest trade is dentists (52); its calmest is electricians (37). Pick yours.

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The five-city outlook

Where search is calm, and where it is severe.

Milford is calmest at 37; Wilmington runs at 50.

Clouds building

Milford

37/ 100

Local SEO needed

Hardest Chiropractors · 44

Calmest Med spas · 31

Clouds building

Middletown

39/ 100

Local SEO needed

Hardest Dentists · 53

Calmest Electricians · 22

Clouds building

Dover

45/ 100

Local SEO needed

Hardest Dentists · 55

Calmest Law firms · 37

Clouds building

Newark

45/ 100

Local SEO needed

Hardest HVAC · 57

Calmest Pest control · 29

Storms likely

Wilmington

50/ 100

Local SEO needed

Hardest Plumbing · 63

Calmest Pool companies · 39

The Delaware radar

Wilmington runs hottest.

Wilmington, Newark, Dover, Middletown and Milford, stormiest first.

50WilmingtonStorms likely
45DoverClouds building
45NewarkClouds building
39MiddletownClouds building
37MilfordClouds building

Clear skies 0–19
Mostly sunny 20–34
Clouds building 35–49
Storms likely 50–64
Severe 65–100

State lines: US Census Bureau. Numbered pins follow the key, stormiest first.

What we found

Inside Delaware’s numbers.

Wilmington (50): toughest, plumbing at 63, where the top three hold 3,076 reviews at the median and 11 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, pool companies at 39 (9 at the median).
Dover (45): toughest, dentists at 55, where the top three hold 826 reviews at the median and 10 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, law firms at 37 (51 at the median).
Newark (45): toughest, HVAC at 57, where the top three hold 3,564 reviews at the median and 9 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, pest control at 29 (1 at the median).
Middletown (39): toughest, dentists at 53, where the top three hold 911 reviews at the median and 13 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, electricians at 22 (3 at the median).
Milford (37): toughest, chiropractors at 44, where the top three hold 299 reviews at the median and 2 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Calmest, med spas at 31 (14 at the median).

The deepest review moat in Delaware: HVAC in Newark, where the top three hold 3,564 reviews at the median. The thinnest: pest control in Newark, at 1. Ratings run lowest for pool companies in Middletown (3.65 stars across the top ten) and highest for roofing in Newark (4.98).

We read 176 top-ranking competitor sites across Delaware’s searches. WordPress runs 81 of them; 50 are custom or another builder. 41% carry local business markup, against 54% across every state measured, and 69% changed their sitemap in the last year.

Each trade, calmest city to toughest

PlumbingNewark 39 → Wilmington 63
HVACMilford 38 → Newark 57
RoofingMilford 36 → Newark 50
ElectriciansMiddletown 22 → Newark 46
LandscapingMilford 36 → Wilmington 52
Pest controlNewark 29 → Wilmington 57
Pool companiesMiddletown 26 → Newark 46
DentistsMilford 43 → Newark 55
Law firmsMilford 32 → Wilmington 52
Med spasMilford 31 → Wilmington 55
VeterinariansMilford 34 → Newark 50
ChiropractorsNewark 39 → Dover 54

What a searcher sees on the map

The view from the phone.

City Trade

63/ 100

Storms likely

The map pack is contested. Local SEO work is what separates the businesses that get the call.

3,076 median reviews among the top three
11 of the top 20 with 100 or more reviews
4.8 average stars across the top 10

The full forecast

Every city, every trade.

Delaware by city and trade, read 2026-10-29. Business counts are county-wide: Wilmington, Newark and Middletown share New Castle County. Methodology.
City	Plumbing	HVAC	Roofing	Electricians	Landscaping	Pest control	Pool companies	Dentists	Law firms	Med spas	Veterinarians	Chiropractors
Wilmington	63	51	44	43	52	57	39	52	52	55	48	46
Dover	41	48	43	37	40	53	42	55	37	41	48	54
Newark	39	57	50	46	45	29	46	55	41	48	50	39
Middletown	43	47	42	22	41	30	26	53	37	46	39	46
Milford	43	38	36	39	36	32	31	43	32	31	34	44

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