Which Delaware city is the easiest place to rank on Google Maps?

Of the 5 Delaware cities measured, Milford averages lowest, at 37 across 12 trades, and Wilmington averages highest, at 50, 13 points higher. Milford’s calmest market is med spas, at 31, and its toughest is chiropractors, at 44, with 299 reviews at the top-three median. There, 5 of 12 trades score under 35 and 0 score over 65, in a city of 14,723 residents. Easy is relative: a low score means calmer than the other measured cities, not empty, and the map still rewards a complete, well-reviewed profile.

How many Google reviews do I need to compete in Wilmington?

It depends on the trade. In Wilmington, the median review count of the top three Google Maps results runs from 9 for pool companies to 3,076 for plumbing, with chiropractors in the middle at 207. In plumbing, 11 of the top 20 have passed 100 reviews and the top ten average 4.8 stars. Those are the businesses you would be trying to pass. Review strength is the largest weight in the index, 30 of 100, yet proximity still lets a business below the median rank nearby.

How is the Delaware Market Competition Index calculated?

Take electricians in Wilmington, which scores 43, close to the Delaware median. Its top three Google Maps results hold 53 reviews at the median (weight 30), 4 of the top 20 have passed 100 (15) and the top ten average 4.9 stars (10). 67% of its top sites carry local business markup, part of the website signal (20). New Castle County has 0.65 of these businesses per 1,000 homes (10) and Wilmington has 73,512 residents (15). Each signal is scaled from 0 to 1 across every city measured, then weighted. Review counts and population are log-scaled.

How often is the Delaware SEO forecast updated?

The Google Maps data behind this page was read October 29, 2026, in 60 searches, one for each of Delaware’s 5 cities and 12 trades, covering 972 business listings. The Census figures are County Business Patterns 2023 and the Vintage 2025 population and housing estimates. Delaware is one of 14 states published so far, with 36 more joining as their monthly Places batches complete. New states trigger a full recalculation, so these scores may shift a point or two even when nothing changed locally.

Does a low score mean my business does not need SEO?

No. In Delaware, 9 of 60 markets score under 35. The calmest are electricians in Middletown (22), pool companies in Middletown (26) and pest control in Newark (29), where the top three hold as few as 1 reviews at the median. A low score means competitors there are less established than in other measured cities, not that customers stop searching. In those markets, profile and review work is SEO at its cheapest, and it pays back fastest before anyone else builds a lead.

SEO Market Map Delaware

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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In one paragraph

This is a measured forecast of local search competition in Delaware: five cities, 12 trades, one score each from 0 for a calm market to 100 for a severe one. The scores come from Google Maps results, review counts, competitor websites and Census business counts read October 29, 2026. Statewide, Delaware averages 43, ranking 12th of 14.

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.

01 / 10

How competitive is local search in Delaware?

At 43, Delaware ranks 12th of 14 measured states (median 54). That average hides a wide spread: electricians in Middletown scores 22, while plumbing in Wilmington scores 63. Your own answer depends on which of the 60 city and trade markets you are in.

Counting markets, 0 are severe enough to call for full SEO and paid search, 51 are contested local-SEO markets and 9 are calm enough for profile and review work.

Trade by trade, dentists (52), HVAC (48) and plumbing (46) average highest across Delaware. Pool companies (37), electricians (37) and law firms (40) average lowest.

Size matters less than you might expect: Wilmington, the largest measured city at 73,512 residents, averages 50, while Milford, at 14,723, averages 37.

02 / 10

SEO competition in Wilmington

Wilmington scores 50 on average, ranking 1st of 5 in Delaware. The hardest trade is plumbing (63), with a 3,076-review median among the top three and 11 of 20 competitors past 100 reviews. Pool companies are calmest at 39, where 9 reviews is the top-three median.

In Wilmington, 0 of 12 trades score over 65, 12 sit between 35 and 65 and 0 fall under 35.

Wilmington’s rating bar is lowest for pool companies, 4.5 stars across the top ten, and highest for chiropractors, at 4.9.

Wilmington has 73,512 residents in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate. New Castle County counts 1,333 establishments across the trades the Census codes, about 5.6 per 1,000 homes.

We read 36 competitor websites that rank for Wilmington searches. 47% carry local business markup and 67% changed their sitemap in the last year.

SEO competition in Dover

Dover scores 45 on average, ranking 2nd of 5 in Delaware. Its toughest market is dentists at 55, where the top three Google Maps results hold 826 reviews at the median and 10 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Law firms are calmest at 37, where 51 reviews is the top-three median.

Of its 12 trades, 0 call for full SEO plus paid search, 12 for local SEO and 0 for a strong profile and reviews.

The top ten map results average 4.5 stars in electricians and 5.0 in chiropractors, the lowest and highest rating bars in Dover.

Dover has 40,592 residents in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate. Kent County counts 306 establishments across the trades the Census codes, about 3.8 per 1,000 homes.

We read 36 competitor websites that rank for Dover searches. 56% carry local business markup and 75% changed their sitemap in the last year.

SEO competition in Newark

Newark scores 45 on average, ranking 3rd of 5 in Delaware. Its toughest market is HVAC at 57, where the top three Google Maps results hold 3,564 reviews at the median and 9 of 20 rivals have passed 100. At the other end, pest control scores 29 with a 1-review median.

In Newark, 0 of 12 trades score over 65, 11 sit between 35 and 65 and 1 falls under 35.

Ratings run from 4.5 stars (veterinarians) to 5.0 (roofing) across Newark’s top ten results.

Newark has 30,359 residents in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate. New Castle County counts 1,333 establishments across the trades the Census codes, about 5.6 per 1,000 homes.

We read 36 competitor websites that rank for Newark searches. 39% carry local business markup and 72% changed their sitemap in the last year.

SEO competition in Middletown

Middletown averages 39 across 12 trades, 4th of 5 Delaware cities. Its toughest market is dentists at 53, where the top three Google Maps results hold 911 reviews at the median and 13 of 20 rivals have passed 100. Electricians are calmest at 22, where 3 reviews is the top-three median.

Of its 12 trades, 0 call for full SEO plus paid search, 9 for local SEO and 3 for a strong profile and reviews.

Middletown’s rating bar is lowest for pool companies, 3.7 stars across the top ten, and highest for med spas, at 5.0.

Middletown has 25,798 residents in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate. New Castle County counts 1,333 establishments across the trades the Census codes, about 5.6 per 1,000 homes.

We read 34 competitor websites that rank for Middletown searches. 22% carry local business markup and 69% changed their sitemap in the last year.

SEO competition in Milford

Across 12 trades, Milford comes in at 37, the 5th highest of Delaware’s 5 measured cities. Its toughest market is chiropractors at 44, where the top three Google Maps results hold 299 reviews at the median and 2 of 20 rivals have passed 100. The calmest is med spas at 31 (14 reviews at the median).

Split by verdict, Milford has 0 full-SEO markets, 7 local-SEO markets and 5 where a profile may be enough.

Milford’s rating bar is lowest for pool companies, 4.2 stars across the top ten, and highest for med spas, at 5.0.

Milford has 14,723 residents in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate. Sussex County counts 488 establishments across the trades the Census codes, about 3.0 per 1,000 homes.

Of the 34 top competitor sites we could read here, 39% use local business markup, and 64% have a sitemap updated within twelve months.

Where local SEO decides the call in Delaware: the tougher trades

Six trades average between 35 and 65 in Delaware: dentists (52), HVAC (48), plumbing (46), chiropractors (46), med spas (44) and veterinarians (44). Competition is real but beatable: a business that pairs its profile with service-area pages and a steady review habit can move into the top three.

SEO for dentists: Milford 43 to Newark 55, a 469-review median. SEO for HVAC: Milford 38 to Newark 57, a 198-review median. SEO for plumbing: Newark 39 to Wilmington 63, a 125-review median. SEO for chiropractors: Newark 39 to Dover 54, a 262-review median. SEO for med spas: Milford 31 to Wilmington 55, a 95-review median. SEO for veterinarians: Milford 34 to Newark 50, a 323-review median.

In Newark, dentists’ top three hold 266 reviews at the median, 18 of the top 20 have passed 100 and the top ten average 4.8 stars.

In Newark, HVAC’s top three hold 3,564 reviews at the median, 9 of the top 20 have passed 100 and the top ten average 4.7 stars.

08 / 10

Where local SEO decides the call in Delaware: the lighter trades

Six trades average between 35 and 65 in Delaware: roofing (43), landscaping (43), pest control (40), law firms (40), electricians (37) and pool companies (37). Competition is real but beatable: a business that pairs its profile with service-area pages and a steady review habit can move into the top three.

SEO for roofing: Milford 36 to Newark 50, a 95-review median. SEO for landscaping: Milford 36 to Wilmington 52, a 81-review median. SEO for pest control: Newark 29 to Wilmington 57, a 73-review median. SEO for law firms: Milford 32 to Wilmington 52, a 43-review median. SEO for electricians: Middletown 22 to Newark 46, a 53-review median. SEO for pool companies: Middletown 26 to Newark 46, a 49-review median.

To lead roofing in Newark, a business faces a 78-review top-three median, 7 established rivals and ratings averaging 5.0.

In Wilmington, landscaping’s top three hold 137 reviews at the median, 7 of the top 20 have passed 100 and the top ten average 4.8 stars.

09 / 10

What Delaware's top competitor websites do

176 competitor sites from Delaware’s Google Maps results were readable, the top three per search that publish their own website. 41% carry local business markup, against 54% across every state measured, and 69% changed their sitemap in the last year. The median ranking site lists 4 location-style pages.

Across every state measured the median ranking site lists 1 location-style page, so Delaware’s leaders are ahead of the national pattern. WordPress runs 81 of them; custom or less common builders run 50. No builder is required; structure is what the leaders share.

Trailing the leaders on markup, sitemap or service-area pages is usually the quickest gap to close, and the free audit checks each of them.

10 / 10

How to use the Delaware forecast

Find your city and trade in the table and read its band. In Delaware, 9 markets score under 35, where a profile and reviews may be enough; 51 sit between 35 and 65, where local SEO decides the call; and 0 score over 65, where full SEO and paid search are the norm.

Plumbing in Wilmington (63) needs local SEO; pest control in Newark (29) is a market a strong profile may carry.

The median Delaware market scores 43, so half of the 60 city and trade pairs here are calmer than that and half are tougher. Pick a trade above to see only its scores, and read the methodology for how each one is built.

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 October 29, 2026. 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

Questions

What business owners in Delaware ask first.

Jamie Kloncz · SEO Elite Agency, Naples

Dentists averages 52 across Delaware’s 5 measured cities, the highest of the 12 trades, and 0 of the 5 cities score it over 65. It is hardest in Newark, at 55: the top three Google Maps results there hold 266 reviews at the median, 18 of the top 20 have passed 100 and the top ten average 4.8 stars. Its calmest Delaware city is Milford, at 43. The least competitive trade statewide is pool companies, at 37, 15 points lower. Expect to compete on reviews, location pages and site quality at once in the top trade.

Sources

Google Maps Platform: Text Search (New), Places API documentationOpened and checked October 30, 2026
U.S. Census Bureau: County Business Patterns (2023)Opened and checked October 30, 2026
U.S. Census Bureau: Population and Housing Unit Estimates (Vintage 2025)Opened and checked October 30, 2026

Keep reading

The national SEO forecast How the forecast is measured SEO for dentists SEO for HVAC

Written by Jamie Kloncz, founderSEO Elite Agency, Naples FL. Data last read October 29, 2026.

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