Delaware Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Delaware Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 73% of states in the US
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Delaware | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,017,061 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 409.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.10% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 400,257 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Delaware grew by 17.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,017,061 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Delaware is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.8% of residents. That is 1.4 points below the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 205,154 20.2% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 211,855 20.8% -1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 204,199 20.1% +0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 197,426 19.4% +2.5 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 the US, 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 51.5% of the people living in Delaware and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% the US 50.5%
- Men 48.5% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Delaware
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Delaware has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Delaware | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,760 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.34% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Delaware is about 7% higher than in US.
Housing
| Metric | Delaware | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $243,076 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,401 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Delaware is about 14.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,401 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Delaware spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 184 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Delaware | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,703 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,244 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 Delaware is about the same as in US.
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
Delaware has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Delaware | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
Delaware has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Delaware | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
Delaware Compared With Nearby States
Delaware is the 5th largest of the 6 states compared here, 1,017,061 residents against a local median of 8,702,460. Delaware's median household income, at $85,760, runs 17% below the $103,817 typical of the states around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 22.1 min against a local median of 26.2 min, 16% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Delaware is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The states themselves spread $32,322 on median household income, so Delaware sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Delaware has the 5th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 1,017,061 | $85,760 #5/6 | $243,076 #5/6 | 22.1 min #1/6 |
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | $103,916 | $267,101 | 28.3 min |
| New Jersey | 9,334,304 | $103,817 | $352,792 | 26.2 min |
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | $110,571 | $597,276 | 30.3 min |
| Pennsylvania | 13,004,688 | $78,249 | $152,469 | 22.4 min |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | $93,527 | $256,082 | 23.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Delaware.
How many people live in Delaware?
About 1,017,061 people live in Delaware, in 400,257 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Delaware mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Delaware has 409 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Delaware an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($243,076 against $85,760), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,401 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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