Delaware Population 2024

1,044,321

At the time of the 2010 Census, the population of Delaware was recorded at 897,934, which represented a 14.6% rise on the 2000 figure of 783,600. An estimate in 2015 claims that the population within the state had risen to 945,934, and this would make Delaware the 45th largest state in the USA as far as population. Based on growth rates from the last year, Delaware is the 14th fastest growing state at a rate of 1.05%.

Delaware Area and Population Density

In many respects, the state of Delaware is quite tiny, and in terms of surface area, it is the second smallest state in the United States, ahead of only Rhode Island.

Delaware’s territory equates to just 2,490 square miles (6,452 square kilometers) of area managed by the state, and for every square mile of land, there is an average of 460.8 people. This makes Delaware's population density the 6th highest in the US.

The largest city in Delaware is Wilmington, with a population of 71,146 people. The largest county is New Castle, which is one of only three counties in the state. See more below for interactive graphs and charts concerning changes in population over time.

Delaware Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age is 39.6 years of age, with a slight gender gap of 51.6% females, and 48.4% males in the state.

In religious terms, Delaware's population is split, with 69% associating with Christianity, 6% non-Christian faiths, and 23% unaffiliated individuals.

Delaware Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Delaware was one of the 13 original States, and has essentially maintained its currently known boundaries since the Colonial times. Census coverage has included the entirety of Delaware from 1790 on.

Delaware Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Delaware was:

  • White: 65.73%
  • Black or African American: 21.97%
  • Two or more races: 5.04%
  • Asian: 4.04%
  • Other race: 2.86%
  • Native American: 0.31%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%

Delaware’s Population History

Like most states on the eastern edge of the United States, Delaware has enjoyed comparatively high and steady population statistics since the early settlers arrived in the 18th century. In 1790, the early census showed the numbers within the state to be 59,096, and ten years later at the start of the next century, that figure had grown by just 8.8% to 64,273.

Delaware Population Growth

Similar increases were experienced throughout the 1800s, and by 1860 the population of Delaware went beyond 100,000 for the first time. From this point, the percentage rise in census on census figures regularly exceeded 10% with one notable spike coming in 1960 when a rise of over 40% from 1950’s figures took the population to 446,292.

Delaware Population Projections

Delaware has enjoyed steady, if unspectacular, growth since it first came into existence, and there is no reason to suggest that this won’t continue. The question for many observers is how close the numbers can get to the one million mark by the time of the next Census in 2020. Estimates put the population of Delaware in 2020 right around 1 million based on current growth rates.

By projecting the current growth rates out to 2020, we end up with an estimate of 995,764 for 2020, just shy of the 1 million total.

Delaware is ranked as one of the top ten states when it comes to the proportion of African American residents compared to the total population. With over 20% of its population identifying as Black or African American, this puts Delaware in eighth place when compared to the other US states.

According to data from 2011, almost half of Delaware residents under the age of 1 belonged to minority groups. Between the census in 2000 and the one taken in 2010, the Hispanic population increased by over 86%, and the current estimated population of Hispanics is around 9%, mostly comprised of Puerto Ricans and Mexicans.

The largest ancestry groups in the state include Irish, German, English and Italian. The state is becoming more diverse, and in 2014, it was predicted that Delaware would be the 14th most diverse state in the nation, with the number of Hispanic residents expected to be 2.6 times higher than it is in 2016 and with the non-Hispanic white population decreasing to 59%.

Delaware Growth Rate

Delaware Population Rank

Delaware Population 2024

Delaware Facts

Population

200K

250K

300K

350K

400K

450K

500K

550K

Growth by County in Delaware

When evaluating populations by county, Delaware is quite easy to evaluate as the state has just three counties. Unlike many states in the United States, which have a balance of declining and increasing populations, all three counties in Delaware -- New Castle, Kent, and Sussex -- posted population growths between the 2010 Census and estimates taken in 2015.

Sussex County, the southernmost county, posted the highest growth of 8.96%. This was followed by the central county of Kent, with an increase of 6.47%, and northernmost county New Castle, with a recorded population growth of 3.32%.

Delaware Population by County

Population by Race

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White645,40965.73%
Black or African American215,74521.97%
Two or more races49,5125.04%
Asian39,6844.04%
Other race28,0952.86%
Native American3,0640.31%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander3830.04%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Delaware Population by Race

Delaware Population Pyramid 2024

Delaware Median Age

41.1

Total

39.4

Male

42.8

Female

Delaware Adults

There are 774,247 adults, (186,375 of whom are seniors) in Delaware.

Delaware Age Dependency

67

Age Dependency Ratio

31.7

Old Age Dependency Ratio

35.3

Child Dependency Ratio

Delaware Sex Ratio

Female504,67351.4%
Male477,21948.6%

Delaware Population by Age

Delaware Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All381,0972.5171.528.5
Married181,4813.0986.813.2
Non Family133,0631.2657.842.2
Female47,3323.554.545.5
Male19,2213.2963.736.3

3.08

Average Family Size

2.51

Average Household Size

71.5%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Delaware Households and Families

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Delaware Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Delaware Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 93.88%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 65.45%.

Delaware Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

$45,782

Average Earnings

$52,057

Average Male

$40,764

Average Female

Delaware Earnings by Educational Attainment

Delaware Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Delaware Language

86.28% of Delaware residents speak only English, while 13.72% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 7.16% of the population.

Delaware Language

Delaware Poverty by Race

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White583,62845,9827.88%
Black205,91436,55017.75%
Hispanic93,11216,91118.16%
Multiple48,6218,51517.51%
Other27,6856,36022.97%
Asian39,2154,11910.5%
Native3,01151317.04%
Islander3786617.46%

11.44%

Overall Poverty Rate

10.22%

Male Poverty Rate

12.58%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Delaware

The race most likely to be in poverty in Delaware is Other, with 22.97% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Delaware is White, with 7.88% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.2%. Among those working part-time, it was 14%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 16.88%.

Delaware Poverty

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade20.85%
High School12.39%
Some College8.23%
Bachelors or Greater3.65%

Delaware Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed29.89%
Male Unemployed23.54%
Female Employed6.37%
Male Employed4.23%

Delaware Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Delaware Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Delaware Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

48.0%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.0%

Male Marriage Rate

45.2%

Female Marriage Rate

Delaware Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Delaware Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Delaware Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Delaware Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

64,386

Number of Veterans

57,765

Male Veterans

6,621

Female Veterans

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Delaware Veterans by War

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Delaware Veterans by Age

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Delaware Veterans by Race

Delaware Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.97%

Veteran Poverty Rate

28.3%

Veteran Disability Rate

Delaware Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

62.2%

Labor Force Participation

58.1%

Employment Rate

5.7%

Unemployment Rate

Delaware Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Delaware Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Delaware Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

44.16%

Born in Delaware

90.36%

Native Born

9.64%

Foreign Born

4.54%

Non Citizen

5.09%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

90.36% of Delaware residents were born in the United States, with 44.16% having been born in Delaware. 4.54% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Delaware Place of Birth

  1. Delaware Census State Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources