Delaware Population 2023

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’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 was the first state to join the Union in 1787.
• Delaware is one of five states that does not have a consumer sales tax.
• Delaware only has three US counties -- Kent, New Castle and Sussex -- the fewest in the country.
• With an elevation of just 60 feet, the state has the lowest mean altitude in the nation.
• Delaware is only 35 miles wide at its widest point and 9 miles wide at the narrowest point.
• Until 2014, Delaware was the only state in the US to not have a national park.
• Approximately 500 descendants of the original Nanticoke Indian tribe live in Delaware.
• Finnish settlers brought plans for log cabins to Delaware.