Delaware population and demographics

How many people live in Delaware

The Census Bureau's population estimates put Delaware at 1.1 million residents in July 2025, the 6th smallest among the 50 states. That is 0.31% of everyone in the United States. Its population is smaller than every bordering state (Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), and it is the 2nd smallest in the South¹.

The count first passed one million in the estimates for July 2021, at 1,005,130. Every census since 1790 has counted more people than the one before, and the July 2025 estimate is the highest on record. The state is 3.3 times¹ as populous as at the 1950 Census, when 318,085⁹ people were counted.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Delaware
1790	59,096
1800	64,273
1810	72,674
1820	72,749
1830	76,748
1840	78,085
1850	91,532
1860	112,216
1870	125,015
1880	146,608
1890	168,493
1900	184,735
1910	202,322
1920	223,003
1930	238,380
1940	266,505
1950	318,085
1960	446,292
1970	548,104
1980	594,338
1990	666,168
2000	783,600
2010	897,934
2020	989,948
2021	1,005,130
2022	1,020,279
2023	1,035,354
2024	1,050,123
2025	1,059,952

Its rank has fallen even as it grew. At the first census, in 1790, its 59,096 residents ranked 16th of 18 among the areas counted. By 1950 Delaware ranked 48th of 51⁹. It has ranked 45th of 51⁶ at each of the last three censuses.

One House seat for nearly a million people

Delaware has 1 seat in the House of Representatives. After the 2020 Census its apportionment population was 990,837. Because the whole state is one district, that is also its population per seat, the highest in the nation. The next largest were in Idaho (920,688) and West Virginia (897,522); the smallest were in Montana (542,704¹⁰).

Small state, high growth rate

Between July 2024 and July 2025 Delaware grew by 0.94%, the 6th highest rate among the 50 states and DC and 0.4 percentage points above the US figure (0.52%). Only South Carolina, Idaho, North Carolina, Texas and Utah grew faster. Since the April 2020 census base it has grown by 7.07%, the 7th highest rate, and faster than each of its neighbors: higher than every bordering state (Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania)¹.

South Carolina1.46%

Idaho1.44%

North Carolina1.32%

Texas1.25%

Utah1.03%

Delaware0.94%

Washington0.92%

Arizona0.89%

Georgia0.88%

Nevada0.88%

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025.

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State	Growth 2024-25
South Carolina	1.46%
Idaho	1.44%
North Carolina	1.32%
Texas	1.25%
Utah	1.03%
Delaware	0.94%
Washington	0.92%
Arizona	0.89%
Georgia	0.88%
Nevada	0.88%

In numbers of people the gains are modest, 9,829 in the latest year, the 20th lowest¹ of any state. A high rate on a small base is what puts Delaware near the top of the percentage ranking.

Deaths outnumber births, so every gain comes from movers

Delaware recorded 10,328 births and 10,882 deaths in the year to June 2025, a natural change of −554. It was one of 17 states that recorded more deaths than births in the year to June 2025. This was not a one-year event: deaths exceeded births in every year since the 2020 Census, with natural change of −1,084 in the year to June 2021, −664 in 2022, −262 in 2023 and −197 in 2024. Over the whole period natural change was −3,150¹.

Births+55,054

Deaths−58,204

Net domestic migration+53,212

Net international migration+19,687

Residual (estimation adjustment)+253

Total change+70,002

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	55,054
Deaths	−58,204
Net domestic migration	53,212
Net international migration	19,687
Residual (estimation adjustment)	253
Total change	70,002

Migration more than made up the difference. Since April 2020 net migration added 72,899 people: 53,212 more arrived from other states than left, and 19,687 more came from abroad than left for abroad. In the year to June 2025 the net migration rate was 9.8 per 1,000 residents, the 4th highest of any state after South Carolina, North Carolina and Idaho. The domestic part alone, 6.5 per 1,000 residents, was also the 4th highest¹.

Net domestic migration has shrunk every year since 2021, from 13,680 in the year to June 2021 to 6,855 in the year to June 2025. Net international migration rose to 6,799 in 2024 and fell to 3,473¹ in 2025.

The low birth rate is about who lives in the state more than about family size. Delaware's crude birth rate, 9.8 per 1,000 residents, is 8% below the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents), and its death rate, 10.3 per 1,000 residents, is 13% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents)¹. Yet the total fertility rate, an estimate of the children a woman would have over her lifetime at 2024 rates, was 1.61, 1% above the US figure (1.60)¹¹. Births per woman are close to the national level; births per resident are lower in a population where a larger share of residents are 65 and older (see the age section below).

Who moves to Delaware

Only 40.2% of Delaware residents were born in the state (±1.4 percentage points), the 7th lowest share in the country and 16.2 percentage points below the US figure (56.4%). Another 47.0% were born elsewhere in the United States. The largest group by far was born in the Northeast: 28.2% of all residents, 21.9 percentage points above the US figure (6.3%). A further 14.0% were born elsewhere in the South, 2.9% in the Midwest and 1.9%¹² in the West.

In 2025, 3.8% of residents had lived in another state a year earlier (±0.6 percentage points), 1.7 percentage points above the US figure (2.1%)¹³.

Moved to Delaware from

Maryland7,026 ±2,233

Pennsylvania6,673 ±1,661

New Jersey3,404 ±1,047

New York2,684 ±1,027

Virginia1,854 ±915

Georgia1,595 ±1,979

Florida1,574 ±1,286

California1,439 ±815

Left Delaware for

Pennsylvania6,665 ±1,696

Maryland5,781 ±1,822

New Jersey3,347 ±1,138

Virginia2,342 ±1,050

Florida1,581 ±994

South Carolina1,241 ±901

Illinois868 ±1,115

South Dakota753 ±854

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Maryland	7,026 ±2,233	5,781 ±1,822
Pennsylvania	6,673 ±1,661	6,665 ±1,696
New Jersey	3,404 ±1,047	3,347 ±1,138
New York	2,684 ±1,027	–
Virginia	1,854 ±915	2,342 ±1,050
Georgia	1,595 ±1,979	–
Florida	1,574 ±1,286	1,581 ±994
California	1,439 ±815	–
South Carolina	–	1,241 ±901
Illinois	–	868 ±1,115
South Dakota	–	753 ±854

The largest exchanges are with the neighboring states. In the Census Bureau's 2024 migration tables, Maryland and Pennsylvania sent the most arrivals, followed by New Jersey and New York, and Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey were also the top destinations of people who left. Altogether 33,421 people moved in from other states (±4,850) and 28,385 moved out (±3,942¹⁴).

Tax returns give a sharper view. Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, 35,759 people on returns moved to Delaware and 27,956 moved away, a net gain of 7,803, the 14th highest in the country. Arriving households reported $1.9 billion in adjusted gross income and departing ones $1.3 billion, a net inflow of $564 million¹⁵.

What percent of Delaware is Black, white and Hispanic

The Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates count 24.0% of Delawareans as Black alone, the 8th highest share of the 50 states and DC and 10.4 percentage points above the US figure (13.5%). The share is up from 23.0% in 2020¹⁶.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic55.5% 66.5%

Black, not Hispanic21.7% 25.7%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)11.9%

Two or more races, not Hispanic5.4%

Asian, not Hispanic4.8% 5.8%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.5%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.1% 2.4%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.1%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	55.5%	±0.3	66.5%
Black, not Hispanic	21.7%	±0.5	25.7%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	11.9%		–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.4%	±0.6	–
Asian, not Hispanic	4.8%	±0.2	5.8%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.3	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.1%	±0.1	2.4%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.1%

The non-Hispanic white share has fallen from 69.6% in 2005 to 55.5% in 2025 in the American Community Survey. Over the same years the non-Hispanic Black share rose from 19.8%¹⁸ to 21.7%².

DelawareUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Delaware	United States
2005	19.8% ±0.2	11.9% ±0.0
2006	20.4% ±0.2	12.2% ±0.0
2007	20.0% ±0.3	12.2% ±0.0
2008	20.2% ±0.3	12.1% ±0.0
2009	20.3% ±0.3	12.1% ±0.0
2010	21.1% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2011	20.9% ±0.3	12.2% ±0.0
2012	20.9% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2013	20.8% ±0.4	12.3% ±0.0
2014	21.1% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2015	21.2% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2016	21.4% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2017	21.5% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2018	21.8% ±0.3	12.3% ±0.0
2019	22.0% ±0.3	12.4% ±0.0
2021	20.5% ±0.6	11.8% ±0.0
2022	21.6% ±0.4	11.9% ±0.0
2023	21.7% ±0.5	11.8% ±0.0
2024	21.4% ±0.6	11.8% ±0.0
2025	21.7% ±0.5	11.7% ±0.0

Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race, are 11.9% of the population in the 2025 estimates, up from 10.6% in 2020 and 8.6 percentage points below the US figure (20.5%)¹⁶. Fewer are of Mexican origin and more are Puerto Rican than nationally. People of Mexican origin are 3.6% of all residents, 7.7 percentage points below the US figure (11.3%), while people of Puerto Rican origin are 3.1%, 1.3 percentage points above the US figure (1.8%)¹⁹.

Asian Indian is the largest Asian group, with 17,720 people in 2020–2024, followed by Chinese (8,190) and Filipino (5,164²⁰) residents. On a diversity index, the chance that two people chosen at random belong to different groups, Delaware scores 62.5, the 16th most diverse²¹ state.

Land, water and where people live

Delaware has 1,949 square miles of land, the 3rd smallest in the country after the District of Columbia and Rhode Island, and water covers 21.7%²² of its total area. With 544.0 people per square mile, it is the 7th most densely populated state and 3rd most densely populated in the South. It is denser than Pennsylvania; less dense than Maryland and New Jersey²³.

Alaska 1.3District of Columbia 11,347.8

Source: States Demographics, Computed. Each dot is a state. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	People per sq mi
District of Columbia	11,347.8
New Jersey	1,298.2
Rhode Island	1,078.0
Massachusetts	917.1
Connecticut	761.7
Maryland	645.2
Delaware	544.0
Florida	437.3
New York	424.5
Pennsylvania	291.9
Ohio	291.3
California	252.5
North Carolina	230.3
Illinois	229.1
Virginia	224.9
Hawaii	223.1
Georgia	195.8
Indiana	194.6
South Carolina	185.3
Michigan	178.9
Tennessee	177.4
New Hampshire	158.1
Texas	121.4
Washington	120.4
Kentucky	116.7
Wisconsin	110.3
Louisiana	106.9
Alabama	102.5
Missouri	91.2
West Virginia	73.5
Minnesota	73.2
Vermont	69.9
Arizona	67.1
Mississippi	63.0
Oklahoma	60.1
Arkansas	59.9
Colorado	58.0
Iowa	58.0
Maine	45.9
Oregon	44.5
Utah	42.8
Kansas	36.4
Nevada	29.9
Nebraska	26.3
Idaho	24.6
New Mexico	17.5
South Dakota	12.3
North Dakota	11.6
Montana	7.9
Wyoming	6.1
Alaska	1.3

At the 2020 Census, 82.6% of residents lived in urban areas, 2.6 percentage points above the US figure (80.0%), and 17.4% in rural areas. The rural share is higher than Maryland and New Jersey; lower than Pennsylvania²⁴.

An older state with fewer men than women

The median age is 42.2 years (±0.3 years), 2.7 years above the US figure (39.5 years) and older than every bordering state (Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania)³. In 2005 it was 37.9 years¹⁸. Residents aged 65 and older now make up 22.8% of the population, a share tied for 4th highest, up from 19.7% in 2020. Their number, 241,321, is larger than the number of children under 18 (209,989¹⁶).

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	2.62	2.52	2.76	2.65
5-9	2.76	2.63	2.96	2.83
10-14	2.88	2.80	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.04	2.94	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.22	3.15	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.18	3.20	3.46	3.37
30-34	2.97	3.11	3.41	3.38
35-39	3.00	3.23	3.38	3.40
40-44	2.86	3.08	3.21	3.27
45-49	2.56	2.85	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.57	2.82	2.83	2.96
55-59	2.86	3.25	2.86	3.02
60-64	3.31	3.85	2.96	3.21
65-69	3.31	3.94	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.77	3.30	2.26	2.64
75-79	2.08	2.52	1.71	2.08
80-84	1.19	1.52	1.00	1.32
85+	0.83	1.32	0.78	1.28

The working-age middle is thin. People aged 18 to 64 are 57.4% of the population, the 2nd lowest share of any state. For every 100 people of working age there are 39.6 aged 65 and older, the 3rd highest old-age dependency ratio after Maine and Vermont. Adding children, the total dependency ratio of 74.2 is the 2nd highest¹⁶.

Maine42.2

Vermont40.9

Delaware39.6

Hawaii39.2

Florida39.1

West Virginia38.9

New Hampshire38.5

Montana38.5

Pennsylvania36.4

New Mexico36.2

United States31.5

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Old-age dependency ratio, 2025
Maine	42.2
Vermont	40.9
Delaware	39.6
Hawaii	39.2
Florida	39.1
West Virginia	38.9
New Hampshire	38.5
Montana	38.5
Pennsylvania	36.4
New Mexico	36.2
United States	31.5

Delaware has 92.2 males for every 100 females, the lowest of any state (the District of Columbia is lower). Men are 48.0%¹⁶ of the population. The American Community Survey counts 41,442 more women than men (±3,318²⁵). Women are older on average than men: their median age is 44.0 years, against 40.3 years³ for men, and women's life expectancy at birth in 2022 was 79.5 years, against 73.6 years²⁶ for men.

Income above the US, poverty below

The median household income was $92,520 in 2025 (±$3,776), $7,740 (9%) above the US figure ($84,780), ranking between 13th and 17th once margins of error are taken into account. It is higher than Pennsylvania; lower than Maryland and New Jersey. After inflation it is not statistically different from $89,837 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴.

The poverty rate, 9.5% (±1.1 percentage points), is 2.3 percentage points below the US figure (11.8%). Poverty among residents 65 and older is 8.8%, 2.4 percentage points below the US figure (11.2%), and among children 11.7%, 3.1 percentage points below the US figure (14.8%)⁵. The Census Bureau's supplemental poverty measure, which accounts for taxes, benefits and local housing costs, puts the 2023–2025 average at 8.9%, 4.1 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%)³¹. Prices are close to the national average: the Bureau of Economic Analysis sets Delaware's price level for 2024 at 99.8²⁷ (US = 100).

Two economic measures point in different directions. Gross domestic product, which counts the value of everything produced in the state, came to $115,043 per resident in 2025, the 3rd highest after the District of Columbia and New York²⁹. Personal income, which counts what residents receive from wages, investments, pensions and benefits, was $68,630 per person, $8,398 (11%) below the US figure ($77,028)²⁸. The value of output located in Delaware is high relative to its population; the income of the people who live there is not.

Few poor households on SNAP

Of Delaware households below the poverty level, 27.1% received SNAP food benefits in 2025 (±5.5 percentage points), 14.9 percentage points below the US figure (42.0%). That share ranks between 50th and 51st³², the lowest or second lowest in the country. Administrative records from the Department of Agriculture count 118,828 people receiving SNAP in the 2025 fiscal year, 11.2%³³ of residents.

Fewer adherents than any neighbor

Delaware's congregations counted 41.4% of residents in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, lower than every bordering state (Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania). The Catholic Church is the largest body, with 197,094 adherents in only 45 parishes, 19.9% of the population. Christian congregations of all kinds counted 38.9%³⁴.

Two smaller groups answer common questions. Synagogues counted 3,000 members (0.30%), and Hindu temples counted 12,731 adherents, the 4th³⁴ largest body in the state. Congregations keep these lists themselves; they are not a survey of residents' faith, as the religion overview explains.

Degrees and schooling

Among adults aged 25 and older, 39.0% held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2025 (±1.4 percentage points), 1.6 percentage points above the US figure (37.4%) and up from 36.0% in 2024. The state ranks between 13th and 20th on this measure. In 2005 the share was 27.6%¹⁸. Graduate and professional degrees are more common than nationally: 17.5% of adults hold one, 2.5 percentage points above the US figure (15.0%), and 2.8% hold a doctorate, 1.0 percentage points above the US figure (1.8%)³⁵.

DelawareUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Delaware	United States
2005	27.6% ±1.0	27.2% ±0.1
2006	27.0% ±1.0	27.0% ±0.1
2007	26.1% ±0.9	27.5% ±0.1
2008	27.5% ±1.0	27.7% ±0.1
2009	28.7% ±1.0	27.9% ±0.1
2010	27.8% ±1.0	28.2% ±0.1
2011	28.8% ±1.1	28.5% ±0.1
2012	29.5% ±1.0	29.1% ±0.1
2013	29.8% ±1.0	29.6% ±0.1
2014	30.6% ±0.9	30.1% ±0.1
2015	30.9% ±0.9	30.6% ±0.1
2016	31.0% ±1.1	31.3% ±0.1
2017	31.5% ±1.0	32.0% ±0.1
2018	31.3% ±1.0	32.6% ±0.1
2019	33.2% ±1.2	33.1% ±0.1
2021	35.6% ±1.1	35.0% ±0.1
2022	36.5% ±1.2	35.7% ±0.1
2023	36.5% ±1.2	36.2% ±0.1
2024	36.0% ±1.1	36.8% ±0.1
2025	39.0% ±1.3	37.4% ±0.1

93.2% of adults have at least a high school diploma, 2.6 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%)³⁵. In the 2021–22 school year, 88% of public high school students graduated within four years, a rate 1.0 percentage points above the US figure (87%)³⁶.

Immigrants, languages and ancestry

Residents born abroad are 10.7% of the population, 4.0 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). Africa accounts for a larger part of them than nationally: 13.1% of Delaware's foreign-born population was born there, 7.2 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%). Latin America accounts for 41.3%, 9.0 percentage points below the US figure (50.3%), and Asia 34.3%¹².

At home, 15.6% of residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English, 7.3 percentage points below the US figure (22.9%); 8.1%³⁷ speak Spanish.

Ancestry answers, from the 2020–2024 survey, are led by Irish (14.8% of residents), German (12.4%), English (10.5%) and Italian (8.6%³⁸). People can report more than one ancestry, so the shares overlap.

Tied for the highest homeownership rate

In 2025, 74.7% of occupied homes in Delaware were owned by the people living in them (±1.4 percentage points), 9.4 percentage points above the US figure (65.3%) and higher than every bordering state (Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania). West Virginia had the same rate, and the margins of error place Delaware between 1st and 4th³⁰. In 2005 the rate was 72.4%¹⁸.

The housing stock is young. Homes built in 2010 or later are 21.9% of all units, 7.0 percentage points above the US figure (14.9%)⁴⁰, and the median home was built in 1989⁴¹. Mobile homes make up 7.4% of units, 2.1 percentage points above the US figure (5.3%)⁴². A larger share of units than nationally is vacant, 12.7%, 3.1 percentage points above the US figure (9.6%)⁴³.

The median home value was $392,600, $21,500 (6%) above the US figure ($371,100)⁴⁴, and the median gross rent $1,614 a month, $57 (4%) above the US figure ($1,557)⁴⁵.

Infant deaths and other health measures

Delaware's infant mortality rate was 7.8 per 1,000 live births in 2024, the 3rd highest in the country after Mississippi and Arkansas, and 41% above the US figure (5.5 per 1,000 live births)⁴⁶.

Delaware7.8

Pennsylvania5.7

Maryland5.5

United States5.5

New Jersey3.4

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Stats of the States. Period: 2024.

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State	Infant mortality
Delaware	7.8
Pennsylvania	5.7
Maryland	5.5
United States	5.5
New Jersey	3.4

Life expectancy at birth was 76.5 years in 2022, 1.0 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and shorter than every bordering state (Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania)²⁶. The age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was 33.4 per 100,000, age-adjusted, 45% above the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted)⁴⁶. The share of residents without health insurance, 7.6%, is 0.8 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%)⁴⁷.

Work and veterans

A smaller share of adults works or looks for work than in most states. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the share of residents aged 16 and older in the labor force at 59.8% over the published months of 2025, 2.6 percentage points below the US figure (62.4%) and the 11th lowest rate. Unemployment averaged 4.8% over the same months, 0.5 percentage points above the US figure (4.3%)⁴⁸.

Veterans are 6.9% of adults, 1.0 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)⁴⁹. More of them served in the Vietnam era than nationally, 36.0% of all veterans, 5.1 percentage points above the US figure (30.9%), and fewer served after September 2001, 25.5%⁵⁰.