New Castle County, Delaware Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
New Castle County, DE Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthiest county in Delaware
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B
Income Around averageWealthiest county in Delaware
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B
Education Around averageBest educated county in Delaware
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 577,338 | 1,017,061 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1169.5 | 409.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.56% | 1.10% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.0 | 42.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 223,933 | 400,257 | 130,235,071 |
Population in New Castle County grew by 9.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 577,338 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in New Castle County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.6% of residents. That is 1.8 points above Delaware as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 123,053 21.3% +1.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 130,451 22.6% +1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 117,539 20.4% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 96,061 16.6% -2.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Delaware, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.3% of the people living in New Castle County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Delaware 51.5%
- Men 48.7% Delaware 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in New Castle County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
New Castle County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $91,590 | $85,760 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.12% | 4.34% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in New Castle County is about 7% higher than in Delaware.
Housing
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $220,844 | $243,076 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,448 | $1,401 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.0% | 72.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in New Castle County is about 12.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,448 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in New Castle County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 183 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.9 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.9 | 44.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 183 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,670 | $5,703 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.6% | 15.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,252 | 11,244 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,645 | 1,341 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Delaware:
Kent County (21.6 min), New Castle County (21.9 min), Sussex County (22.8 min).
Slowest:
Sussex County (22.8 min), New Castle County (21.9 min), Kent County (21.6 min).
The average commute time in New Castle County is about the same as in Delaware.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
New Castle County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.0% | 31.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.48 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Delaware:
New Castle County (0.3), Sussex County (0.3), Kent County (0.2).
Lowest:
Kent County (0.2), Sussex County (0.3), New Castle County (0.3).
Health
New Castle County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 77.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.2% | 14.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.2% | 17.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Delaware:
New Castle County (0.8), Sussex County (0.8), Kent County (0.8).
Lowest:
Kent County (0.8), Sussex County (0.8), New Castle County (0.8).
New Castle County, DE Compared With Nearby Counties
New Castle County, DE is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 577,338 residents against a local median of 187,603. New Castle County, DE sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 14% above the local median at $220,844 against $194,369. New Castle County, DE has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County, DE | 577,338 | $91,590 #3/6 | $220,844 #3/6 | 21.9 min #2/6 |
| Salem County, NJ | 65,196 | $82,265 | $146,481 | 23.3 min |
| Cecil County, MD | 104,960 | $93,370 | $137,826 | 25.5 min |
| Chester County, PA | 543,223 | $127,033 | $226,626 | 23.3 min |
| Delaware County, PA | 578,234 | $90,232 | $194,369 | 26.1 min |
| Kent County, DE | 187,603 | $74,532 | $239,515 | 21.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about New Castle County, Delaware.
What is the population of New Castle County, Delaware?
About 577,338 people live in New Castle County, Delaware, in 223,933 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is New Castle County, Delaware urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, New Castle County, Delaware has 1,169 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 14 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in New Castle County, Delaware?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($220,844 against $91,590), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,448 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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