Delaware Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Delaware, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Delaware. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Delaware. The estimated population of Delaware is 981,892 people, with a median age of 41.1.

We can look at the total population in Delaware over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
981,892
+1.47%
+4.04%
2020
967,679
+1.09%
-
2019
957,248
+0.82%
-
2018
949,495
+0.61%
-
2017
943,732
 - -

Population of Delaware by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
60.8%
63%
 -3.49%
Black/African American
21.5%
21.3%
 +0.94%
Native
0.2%
0.3%
 -33.33%
Hispanic
9.7%
9%
 +7.78%
Asian
4%
3.8%
 +5.26%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
3.3%
2.3%
 +43.48%
Other
0.4%
0.2%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Delaware by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 41.1 +0.24% 39.4 +0.77% 42.8 -0.23%
2020 41 +0.99% 39.1 +0.77% 42.9 +1.18%
2019 40.6 +1% 38.8 +0.78% 42.4 +0.95%
2018 40.2 +1.01% 38.5 +0.79% 42 +1.45%
2017 39.8 - 38.2 - 41.4 -

The median age of Delaware gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 56,095 +0.23% 55,497 -1.78% 56,213 54,502
10 to 19 60,147 +3.05% 57,702 +5.13% 61,978 60,698
20 to 29 64,443 -4.42% 63,701 -5.3% 61,641 60,392
30 to 39 56,933 +8.46% 59,145 +3.56% 61,890 61,267
40 to 49 55,926 -2.2% 59,284 -0.32% 54,693 59,094
50 to 59 63,523 +2.19% 70,604 -2.86% 64,920 68,591
60 to 69 53,642 +14.34% 61,489 +16.75% 61,692 72,437
70+ 46,167 +16.41% 59,434 +13.26% 54,192 67,692

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Delaware is $72,724.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Delaware.

  • Under 25
    $36,302.00
  • 25 to 44
    $74,893.00
  • 45 to 64
    $86,798.00
  • 65 and over
    $60,631.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Delaware, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Delaware, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Delaware is currently $97,081.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

8.53% of households in Delaware are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Delaware against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    14.77%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    19.31%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.32%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.04%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    17.51%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    8.54%
  • $200,000 or more
    8.53%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Delaware is $38,917.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Delaware by the total population of Delaware.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Delaware, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Delaware to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    16.16%
  • Bachelor's degree
    30.15%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    41.92%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.48%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Delaware that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Delaware over the age of 16 is 798,798.

Of those people, a total of 62.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Delaware is 58.10%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 50,297 41.90% 14.80%
20 to 24 years 57,883 75.50% 10.70%
25 to 29 years 64,150 84.80% 6.10%
30 to 34 years 63,728 83.90% 5.10%
35 to 44 years 115,773 84.20% 4.10%
45 to 54 years 121,235 83.20% 4.50%
55 to 59 years 69,719 73.70% 3.50%
60 to 64 years 69,638 56.20% 5.20%
65 to 74 years 113,956 25.50% 5.20%
75 years and over 72,419 8.60% 7.30%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Delaware. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 544,629 60.10% 4.90%
Black or African American 169,264 65.90% 8.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2,774 61.40% 7.10%
Asian 31,798 66.80% 4.50%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 351 59.00% 0.00%
Other 19,797 71.00% 4.20%
Two or more races 30,185 69.10% 7.60%
Hispanic or Latino 64,069 70.40% 5.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 512,420 59.40% 4.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Delaware as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Delaware is 464,457, with median earnings of $43,284.00.

Women in Delaware earning approximately 76.60% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 464,457 $43,284.00
Male 236,135 $49,493.00
Female 228,322 $37,935.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 49,245 $75,839.00
Business and Financial 27,649 $68,431.00
Computer and Mathematical 14,835 $84,245.00
Architecture and Engineering 8,176 $83,984.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 6,708 $72,015.00
Community and Social Service 10,502 $47,341.00
Legal 6,611 $80,527.00
Educational and Library 30,032 $49,314.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 6,882 $42,792.00
Healthcare Practitioners 31,067 $68,431.00
Healthcare Support 14,763 $27,526.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 6,594 $30,273.00
Law Enforcement 5,691 $64,203.00
Food Preparation and Serving 22,722 $15,047.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 17,724 $26,405.00
Personal Care and Service 12,359 $20,181.00
Sales 43,911 $28,171.00
Office and Administrative Support 54,312 $34,948.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 2,272 $30,395.00
Construction and Extraction 22,838 $42,419.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 15,484 $52,494.00
Production 19,275 $38,273.00
Transportation and Material Moving 19,205 $36,797.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 27,553 $88,340.00 21,692 $63,596.00
Business and Financial 11,480 $82,855.00 16,169 $61,408.00
Computer and Mathematical 10,431 $89,849.00 4,404 $77,014.00
Architecture and Engineering 6,972 $85,078.00 1,204 $75,227.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 3,225 $80,194.00 3,483 $61,699.00
Community and Social Service 3,062 $48,061.00 7,440 $47,148.00
Legal 2,586 $117,500.00 4,025 $73,898.00
Educational and Library 9,176 $51,669.00 20,856 $47,707.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 3,461 $45,872.00 3,421 $37,430.00
Healthcare Practitioners 6,775 $79,708.00 24,292 $65,335.00
Healthcare Support 2,233 $25,072.00 12,530 $27,771.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 4,403 $29,950.00 2,191 $30,541.00
Law Enforcement 4,637 $64,994.00 1,054 $61,575.00
Food Preparation and Serving 9,708 $21,243.00 13,014 $12,224.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 12,006 $31,031.00 5,718 $18,176.00
Personal Care and Service 3,565 $23,031.00 8,794 $19,505.00
Sales 21,783 $43,463.00 22,128 $20,834.00
Office and Administrative Support 13,069 $38,732.00 41,243 $33,956.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 1,633 $35,243.00 639 $26,188.00
Construction and Extraction 22,220 $43,075.00 618 $21,932.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 15,111 $52,617.00 373 $47,529.00
Production 13,901 $43,990.00 5,374 $28,716.00
Transportation and Material Moving 16,157 $40,740.00 3,048 $22,106.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 381,097 households in Delaware, with an average household size of 2.51 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 248,034 families in Delaware with an average family size of 3.08 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 181,481 19,221 47,332 133,063
Average Household Size 3.09 3.29 3.5 1.26
Total Families 181,481 19,221 47,332 0
Average Household Size 3.06 2.86 3.27 0

Poverty

Of the 248,034 families in Delaware, 7.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Delaware:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 445,104 housing units in Delaware.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 381,097 85.62%
Vacant 64,007 14.38%

23.43% of the total 445,104 housing units in Delaware are rental units. This is approximately 104,304 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 272,435 are occupied by the owner - or 61.21% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Delaware is $1,199.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Delaware that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    4,358
  • Less than $500
    7,944
  • $500 to $999
    23,509
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    47,952
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    18,985
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    4,014
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    948
  • $3,000 or more
    952

Property Value

The median value of a property in Delaware is $269,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Delaware that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    13,284
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    9,449
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    17,542
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    37,431
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    82,371
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    84,313
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    23,676
  • $1,000,000 or more
    4,369

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Delaware. The chart below shows the number of properties in Delaware that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    37,306
  • 1940 to 1949
    18,792
  • 1950 to 1959
    44,075
  • 1960 to 1969
    44,748
  • 1970 to 1979
    51,504
  • 1980 to 1989
    55,140
  • 1990 to 1999
    64,462
  • 2000 to 2009
    80,922
  • 2010 to 2013
    46,688
  • 2014 or later
    1,467

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Delaware that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    22,372
  • 1 vehicle available
    130,476
  • 2 vehicles available
    149,431
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    78,818

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Delaware get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Delaware that commute to work in a particular way.

26 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Delaware.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    9,517
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    36,533
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    57,966
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    69,672
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    66,508
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    32,268
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    52,852
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    11,149
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    15,489
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    28,510
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    22,549
  • 90 or more minutes
    11,354

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Delaware in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Counties in Delaware

We have data for 3 counties in Delaware. Click on a county below to see more information about the demographics of that county, with links to cities and towns within that county.

Zip Codes in Delaware

If you want to find out more about the population and demographics of specific zip codes in Delaware, click on the links below.