19938 Property Tax Rate
Clayton, Delaware · Part of Kent County
Effective Tax Rate
0.40%
26.4% below state avgMedian Annual Tax
$1,329
$111/mo escrow
Estimate Your Tax
Annual Tax
$1,329
Monthly
$111
Eff. Rate
0.40%
Buyer decision brief
What ZIP 19938 means for your housing budget
Use this ZIP page to compare recurring tax burden before you compare listing prices. The numbers below are Census ZCTA estimates, so they are strongest for neighborhood comparison and weakest for parcel-specific tax planning.
Monthly escrow signal
$111/mo
Based on median annual tax paid
State context
0.12 percentage points below the Delaware average
Delaware average: 0.51%
Data confidence
High confidenceThe Census margin of error is $70, about 5% of the median tax estimate.
Verify before you offer
- Confirm parcel assessed value with Kent County assessor.
- Check homestead, senior, veteran, and disability exemptions.
- Ask whether purchase triggers reassessment or value-cap reset.
- Review school district and special assessment boundaries.
Lower-rate similar ZIPs
This is informational content, not tax, legal, or mortgage advice. Local assessor records remain the source of truth for a specific property.
Data confidence ledger
Can you trust ZIP 19938 for comparison?
ACS vintage
2019-2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
Five-year Census ZCTA estimates.
ZCTA caveat
Census area, not parcel boundary
USPS ZIP routes and taxing districts can differ inside the same area.
Field completeness
3/3 required fields
Median tax, home value, and derived rate are present.
MOE status
Strong ACS confidence
$70 tax MOE, 5% of the median tax estimate.
Last site refresh
March 10, 2026
Dataset and page-quality audit run locally before publication.
County fallback
County context only
Kent County is used for assessor verification and broader context.
Tax bill anatomy
What can change your actual bill in ZIP 19938
Use the ZIP estimate to compare neighborhoods, then verify these parcel-level inputs before relying on a payment estimate.
Assessed value
The ZCTA median home value is $335,800, but your bill starts with the local assessed value for a specific parcel.
Effective rate
The displayed rate is 0.40%, derived from median tax paid divided by median home value.
Exemptions
Homestead, senior, veteran, disability, and local exemptions can reduce taxable value. Confirm eligibility before estimating escrow.
Reassessment
A purchase can change assessed value depending on Delaware and county rules. Ask how sale price affects the next assessment cycle.
Escrow impact
The median tax paid in this ZCTA equals about $111 per month before insurance, HOA dues, or special assessments.
Assessor verification
Kent County assessor or tax collector records are the source of truth for parcel taxes, appeal windows, and exemptions.
How ZIP 19938 Compares
Median Annual Property Tax
ZIP 19938
0.40%
Effective rate
Delaware Avg
0.51%
Effective rate
National Avg
1.10%
Effective rate
State Ranking
Property Tax Rank in Delaware
Lower than 67% of ZIP codes in Delaware(33th percentile, 61 ZIPs compared)
Property Tax Analysis
Property Tax Insights for ZIP 19938
Property owners in ZIP code 19938 (Clayton, Delaware) pay a median of $1,329/year in property taxes on homes valued at $335,800. This translates to an effective tax rate of 0.40%, which is 23% below the Delaware state average of 0.51%.
The monthly property tax burden for a median-valued home in 19938 is approximately $111, which factors into escrow payments on mortgages. This ZIP code is located within Kent County. This is $477 less than the Delaware average of $1,806/year.
Compared to similar ZIP codes in Delaware, 19938 has higher property taxes. ZIP codes with similar effective rates include 19956 (0.39%) and 19952 (0.39%).
In Clayton, property taxes represent approximately 1.4% of the median household income of $96,338, providing context for the relative tax burden on homeowners in this area.
If you're considering purchasing a home in 19938, keep in mind that property taxes are based on the assessed value assigned by the local assessor, which may differ from the purchase price. In some states, properties are reassessed at or near the sale price upon transfer of ownership. For the most current tax information for a specific property, consult Kent County's tax assessor directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax rate in ZIP code 19938?
How much are property taxes in Clayton, DE (19938)?
How does ZIP 19938 compare to the Delaware average?
What is the median home value in ZIP 19938?
What county is ZIP code 19938 in?
Margin of Error
The median property tax estimate for this ZIP code has a margin of error of ±$70. ZCTA-level data has wider margins than county-level estimates due to smaller sample sizes.
County-Level Data
ZIP code 19938 is part of Kent County, Delaware. View the full county profile for broader context and more data.
View Kent County on TaxByCounty →Why compare these ZIPs?
Better comparison set for ZIP 19938
Each ZIP highlights a homebuyer tradeoff: lower rate, stronger value context, shared county rules, city boundary changes, or nearby missing data.
19980
Woodside, DE
0.19 percentage points lower than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.21%
Tax
$588
Quality
67
19954
Houston, DE
0.07 percentage points lower than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.32%
Tax
$911
Quality
82
19952
Harrington, DE
0.00 percentage points lower than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.39%
Tax
$1,075
Quality
82
19944
Fenwick Island, DE
0.20 percentage points lower than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.19%
Tax
$2,214
Quality
80
19807
Wilmington, DE
$559,600 higher median home value than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.82%
Tax
$7,336
Quality
94
19930
Bethany Beach, DE
0.17 percentage points lower than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.23%
Tax
$1,806
Quality
82
19732
Rockland, DE
$369,100 higher median home value than ZIP 19938.
Rate
1.28%
Tax
$9,044
Quality
67
19971
Rehoboth Beach, DE
0.14 percentage points lower than ZIP 19938.
Rate
0.25%
Tax
$1,411
Quality
82
Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates (ZCTA level). ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census approximations of USPS ZIP codes.
Estimates are informational only and should not be used as financial or legal advice.