Neighborhoods
On-Base Housing
Military Housing$1,400 to $1,900/mo
Balfour Beatty Communities manages on-base housing with several neighborhood areas and community amenities.
Dover Suburbs
Suburban$1,200 to $1,700/mo
Affordable Delaware capital city suburbs with easy access to the base and state government services.
Smyrna
Small Town$1,100 to $1,500/mo
Growing small town north of Dover with newer development and a popular farmers market.
Middletown
Suburban$1,400 to $1,900/mo
Fast-growing community in northern Delaware with top-rated schools and proximity to Wilmington and Philadelphia.
Schools
Caesar Rodney School District
Grades K-12
Primary district serving base families; Caesar Rodney High School has strong academic and athletic programs.
Appoquinimink School District (Middletown)
Grades K-12
One of the highest-rated districts in Delaware; requires living in Middletown or northern New Castle County.
Smyrna School District
Grades K-12
Growing district in Smyrna with newer school buildings and strong community support.
Housing Intel
On-Post Housing
On-base housing is available through Balfour Beatty with moderate wait times for most rank brackets.
Off-Post Rental Market
Delaware is very affordable compared to neighboring states. BAH comfortably covers most off-base options in Dover and Smyrna.
Commute
Dover AFB is just south of Dover city center. Most base personnel live within 10 to 25 minutes. Middletown commuters face 30 to 40 minutes but gain access to better schools.
Installation Highlights
- Home of C-17 Globemaster III airlift operations on the East Coast
- No state sales tax in Delaware provides daily savings
- Mid-Atlantic location within 2 hours of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC
- Delaware beaches at Rehoboth and Lewes are just 60 miles away
- Air Mobility Command Museum on base with historic airlift aircraft