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Writer's pictureAslam Abdullah

Delaware: A Demographic and Electoral Profile

Updated: Sep 18




Delaware, the first state, joined the Union in December 1787 and participated in all 59 presidential elections. For 56 of those elections, the state had three electoral votes—four during the 1810s. Delaware sided with the Republicans throughout most of the 20th century. That influence waned toward the end of the century as Delaware's businesses diversified.

Like many northeastern states, Delaware has voted Democratic in the last eight elections, with Joe Biden beating Donald Trump by 19% points in 2020. This margin was up from 2016, when Hillary Clinton won by about 11%, but is nearly identical to 2012 when Biden ran for vice president.

The country's second-smallest state by area at 2,489 square miles (mi²), Delaware was home to roughly 1,017,551 individuals as of 2023. This proved to be an increase of 13.32% from the country's 2010 population, the 13th-highest/38th-lowest population increase in the US. Though Delaware is the least-populated state on the East Coast, it boasts its sixth-highest population density at 522 people/mi²—more than five times higher than the US national density of 96 people/mi². This is thanks in no small part to Delaware's comparatively tiny total area of 2,489 mi².

Although Dover (pop. 40,411) is the capital of Delaware, it is only the second-most-populated city in the state. The city of Wilmington has a population of 70,913 people. Historically, Delaware is known for being the first territory to ratify the proposed US Constitution of 1787, thus becoming the first US state. This has led to what is arguably Delaware's most popular nickname, the "First State".

It has a population of 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 from the 2000 figure of 783,600. An estimate in 2015 claimed that the population within the state had risen to 945,934, making Delaware the 45th largest state in the USA regarding population. Based on growth rates from the last year, Delaware is the 14th fastest-growing state at a rate of 1.05%.

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

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

Delaware's population is 69% associated with Christianity, 6% non-Christian faiths, and 23% unaffiliated individuals.

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%

  • Muslims are 7065 or .07 percent.

 

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