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Moving to
Bear.
Bear is an unincorporated community in New Castle County, DE. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Bear
Bear is an unincorporated community in Delaware with household incomes running above the national average, a growing population, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Bear deals with rent well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Growing population
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Bear compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Bear
Based on Bear's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,542
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $70,840 a year
- 43% of Bear renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$60,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $30,480
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 25% above US
$1,771/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,771 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $304,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $304,800 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in New Castle County is 4.7%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
New Castle County (county-wide)
Safety
147 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Bear doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the New Castle County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 604/100k · Policed by New Castle County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 28°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
33% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 33% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is First State National Historical Park (15 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Bear's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,771/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Bear
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