Delaware

Delaware
State
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The First State; The Small Wonder; [1]Blue Hen State; The Diamond State
Motto: Liberty and Independence
Anthem:"Our Delaware"
Map of the United States with Delaware highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Delaware Colony,New Netherland,New Sweden
Admitted to the Union	December 7, 1787; 236 years ago(1787-12-07)(1st)
Capital	Dover
Largest city	Wilmington
Largest county or equivalent	New Castle
Largest metroandurbanareas	Delaware Valley
Government
•Governor	John Carney(D)
•Lieutenant Governor	Bethany Hall-Long(D)
Legislature	General Assembly
•Upper house	Senate
•Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Delaware Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Tom Carper(D) Chris Coons(D)
U.S. House delegation	Lisa Blunt Rochester(D) (list)
Area
• Total	2,489[2]sq mi (6,450 km2)
• Rank	49th
Dimensions
• Length	96 mi (154 km)
• Width	30 mi (48 km)
Elevation	60 ft (20 m)
Highest elevation (Near the Ebright Azimuth [3] [a] [4])	447.85 ft (136.50468 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean [3])	0 ft (0 m)
Population (July 1, 2023)
• Total	1,031,890[5]
• Rank	45th[7]
• Density	500/sq mi (190/km2)
• Rank	6th
•Median household income	$69,100[6]
• Income rank	19th
Demonym	Delawarean
Language
•Official language	None
Time zone	UTC−05:00(EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00(EDT)
USPS abbreviation	DE
ISO 3166 code	US-DE
Traditional abbreviation	Del.
Latitude	38° 27′ N to 39° 50′ N
Longitude	75° 3′ W to 75° 47′ W
Website	delaware.gov

State symbols of Delaware

List of state symbols
Flag of Delaware
Seal of Delaware
Slogan	Endless Discoveries—[10]Formerly:It's Good Being First
Living insignia
Bird	Delaware Blue Hen
Butterfly	Eastern tiger swallowtail
Fish	Weakfish
Flower	Peach blossom
Insect	7-spotted ladybug
Tree	American holly
Wildlife animal	Grey fox
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Color(s)	Colonial blue,buff
Food	Strawberry,peach custard pie
Fossil	Belemnite
Mineral	Sillimanite
Soil	Greenwich
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 1999
Lists of United States state symbols

Delaware(/ˈdɛləwɛər/^ⓘDEL-ə-wair)^[11]is astatein theMid-AtlanticandNortheasternregion of the United States.^[12]It bordersMarylandto its south and west,Pennsylvaniato its north,New Jerseyto its northeast, and theAtlantic Oceanto its east. The state's name derives from the adjacentDelaware Bay, which in turn was named afterThomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and theColony of Virginia's first colonial-era governor.^[13]

Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of theDelmarva Peninsula, and some islands and territory within theDelaware River. It is the2nd smallestand6th least populousstate, but also the6th most densely populated. Delaware'smost populous cityisWilmington, and the state'scapitalisDover, the2nd most populous city in Delaware. The state is divided intothree counties, the fewest number of counties of any of the 50 U.S. states;^[b]from north to south, the three counties are:New Castle County,Kent County, andSussex County. The southern two counties, Kent and Sussex counties, historically have been predominantly agrarian economies. New Castle is moreurbanizedand is considered part of theDelaware Valleymetropolitan statistical area that surrounds and includesPhiladelphia, the nation'ssixth most populous city. Delaware is considered part of theSouthern United Statesby theU.S. Census Bureau, but the state's geography, culture, and history are a hybrid of the Mid-Atlantic andNortheasternregions of the country.^[14]

Before the Delaware coastline was explored and developed byEuropeansin the 16th century, the state was inhabited by severalNative Americantribes, including theLenapein the north andNanticokein the south. The state was first colonized byDutchtraders atZwaanendael, near present-dayLewes, Delaware, in 1631. Delaware was one of theThirteen Coloniesthat participated in theAmerican RevolutionagainstGreat Britain, which established the United States as an independent nation. On December 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify theConstitution of the United States, earning it the nickname "The First State".^[15]

Since the turn of the 20th century, Delaware has become an onshorecorporate havenwhosecorporate lawsare deemed appealing to corporations; over half of allNew York Stock Exchange-listed corporations and over three-fifths of theFortune500are legally incorporated in Delaware. Over 90% of all U.S. based companies that wentpublicin 2021 incorporated themselves in Delaware.^[16]

Delaware was named after its location on theDelaware Bay, which in turn derived its name fromThomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr(1577–1618), the first governor of theColony of Virginia. The Delaware people, a name used byEuropeansforLenapepeople Indigenous to the Delaware Valley, also derive their name from the same source.

The namede La Warrwas derived fromSussexand is ofAnglo-French origin.^[17][18]It came probably from aNormanlieu-ditLa Guerre. Thistoponymiclikely derived fromLatinager, theBretongwernor from theLate Latinvarectum(fallow). The toponyms Gara, Gare, Gaire, (the sound[ä]often mutated in[æ]) also appear in historical texts cited byLucien Musset, where the wordga(i)rameansgore. It could also be linked with apatronymicfrom theOld Norseverr.

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Before Delaware was settled by European colonists, the present-day state was home to the EasternAlgonquiantribes known as the UnamiLenape, or Delaware, who lived mostly along the coast, and theNanticokewho occupied much of the southernDelmarva Peninsula. John Smith also shows two Iroquoian tribes, the Kuskarawock andTockwogh, living north of the Nanticoke—they may have held small portions of land in the western part of the state before migrating across the Chesapeake Bay.^[19]The Kuskarawocks were most likely theTuscarora.

The Unami Lenape in theDelaware Valleywere closely related toMunseeLenape tribes along theHudson River. They had a settled hunting and agricultural society, and they rapidly became middlemen in an increasingly frantic fur trade with their ancient enemy, the Minqua orSusquehannock. With the loss of their lands on theDelaware Riverand the destruction of the Minqua by theIroquoisof the Five Nations in the 1670s, the remnants of the Lenape who wished to remain identified as such left the region and moved over theAllegheny Mountainsby the mid-18th century. Generally, those who did not relocate out of the state of Delaware were baptized, became Christian and were grouped together with other persons of color in official records and in the minds of their non-Native American neighbors.^{[citation needed]}

TheDutchwere the first Europeans to settle in present-day Delaware in the middle region by establishing a trading post atZwaanendael, near the site ofLewesin 1631.^[20]Within a year, all the settlers were killed in a dispute withNative American tribesliving in the area. In 1638,New Sweden, aSwedishtrading post and colony, was established atFort Christina(now inWilmington) byPeter Minuitat the head of a group of Swedes,Finnsand Dutch. The colony of New Sweden lasted 17 years. In 1651, the Dutch, reinvigorated by the leadership ofPeter Stuyvesant, established a fort at present-dayNew Castleand, in 1655, they conquered the New Sweden colony, annexing it into the DutchNew Netherland.^[21][22]Only nine years later, in 1664, the Dutch were conquered by a fleet of English ships by Sir Robert Carr under the direction ofJames, the Duke of York. Fighting off a prior claim byCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore,Proprietor of Maryland, the Duke passed his somewhat dubious ownership on toWilliam Pennin 1682. Penn strongly desired access to the sea for hisPennsylvania provinceand leased what then came to be known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware"^[21]from the Duke.

Penn established representative government and briefly combined his two possessions under one General Assembly in 1682. However, by 1704 the province of Pennsylvania had grown so large their representatives wanted to make decisions without the assent of the Lower Counties, and the two groups of representatives began meeting on their own, one atPhiladelphia, and the other at New Castle. Penn and his heirs remained proprietors of both and always appointed the same person Governor for their province of Pennsylvania and their territory of the Lower Counties. The fact that Delaware and Pennsylvania shared the same governor was not unique; from 1703 to 1738, New York and New Jersey shared a governor.^[23]Massachusetts and New Hampshire also shared a governor for some time.^[24]

Dependent in early years on indentured labor, Delaware imported more slaves as the number of English immigrants decreased with better economic conditions in England. The colony became a slave society and cultivated tobacco as a cash crop, although English immigrants continued to arrive.

Like the other middle colonies, the Lower Counties on the Delaware initially showed little enthusiasm for a break withBritain. The citizenry had a good relationship with the Proprietary government, and generally were allowed more independence of action in their Colonial Assembly than in other colonies. Merchants at the port of Wilmington had trading ties with the British.

New Castle lawyerThomas McKeandenounced theStamp Actin the strongest terms, and Kent County nativeJohn Dickinsonbecame the "Penman of the Revolution". Anticipating the Declaration of Independence,Patriotleaders Thomas McKean andCaesar Rodneyconvinced the Colonial Assembly to declare itself separated from British and Pennsylvania rule on June 15, 1776. The person best representing Delaware's majority,George Read, could not bring himself to vote for a Declaration of Independence. Only the dramatic overnight ride of Caesar Rodney gave the delegation the votes needed to cast Delaware's vote for independence.

Initially led byJohn Haslet, Delaware provided one of the premier regiments in theContinental Army, known as the "Delaware Blues" and nicknamed the "Blue Hen's Chicks". In August 1777General Sir William Howeled a British army through Delaware on his way to a victory at theBattle of Brandywineand capture of the city of Philadelphia. The only real engagement on Delaware soil was theBattle of Cooch's Bridge, fought on September 3, 1777, atCooch's Bridgein New Castle County, although there was aminor Loyalist rebellionin 1778.

Following the Battle of Brandywine, Wilmington was occupied by the British, andState PresidentJohn McKinlywas taken prisoner. The British remained in control of the Delaware River for much of the rest of the war, disrupting commerce and providing encouragement to an activeLoyalistportion of the population, particularly in Sussex County. Because the British promised slaves of rebels freedom for fighting with them, escaped slaves flocked north to join their lines.^[25]

Following theAmerican Revolution, statesmen from Delaware were among the leading proponents of a strong central United States with equal representation for each state.

Many colonial settlers came to Delaware fromMarylandandVirginia, where the population had been increasing rapidly. The economies of these colonies were chiefly based on labor-intensive tobacco and increasingly dependent on Africanslavesbecause of a decline in working class immigrants from England. Most of the English colonists had arrived asindentured servants(contracted for a fixed period to pay for their passage), and in the early years the line between servant and slave was fluid.^{[citation needed]}

Most of the free African-American families in Delaware before the Revolution had migrated from Maryland to find more affordable land. They were descendants chiefly of relationships or marriages between white servant women and enslaved, servant or free African or African-American men.^[26]Under slavery law, children took the social status of their mothers, so children born to white women were free, regardless of their paternity, just as children born to enslaved women were born into slavery. As the flow of indentured laborers to the colony decreased with improving economic conditions in England, more slaves were imported for labor and the caste lines hardened.

By the end of the colonial period, the number of enslaved people in Delaware began to decline. Shifts in the agriculture economy from tobacco to mixed farming resulted in less need for slaves' labor. In addition localMethodistsandQuakersencouraged slaveholders to free their slaves following the American Revolution, and many did so in a surge of individual manumissions for idealistic reasons. By 1810, three-quarters of all blacks in Delaware were free. When John Dickinson freed his slaves in 1777, he was Delaware's largest slave owner with 37 slaves. By 1860, the largest slaveholder owned 16 slaves.^[27]

Although attempts to abolish slavery failed by narrow margins in the legislature, in practical terms the state had mostly ended the practice. By the1860 censuson the verge of theCivil War, 91.7% of the black population were free;^[28]1,798 were slaves, as compared to 19,829 "free colored persons".^[29]

An independent black denomination was chartered in 1813 by freed slavePeter Spenceras the "Union Church of Africans". This followed the 1793 establishment in Philadelphia of theAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchbyRichard Allen, which had ties to the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1816. Spencer built a church in Wilmington for the new denomination.^[30]This was renamed as theAfrican Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church and Connection, more commonly known as theA.U.M.P. Church. In 1814, Spencer called for the first annual gathering, known as theBig August Quarterly, which continues to draw members of this denomination and their descendants together in a religious and cultural festival.^[31]

Delaware voted againstsecessionon January 3, 1861, and so remained in the Union. While most Delaware citizens who fought in the war served in the regiments of the state, some served in companies on the Confederate side inMarylandandVirginiaRegiments. Delaware is notable for being the only slave state from which no Confederate regiments or militia groups were assembled.^{[citation needed]}Delaware essentially freed the few slaves who were still in bondage shortly after the Civil War^{[further explanation needed]}but rejected the13th,14th, and15thAmendments to the Constitution; the 13th Amendment was rejected on February 8, 1865, the 14th Amendment was rejected on February 8, 1867, and the 15th Amendment was rejected on March 18, 1869. Delaware officially ratified the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments on February 12, 1901.^[32]

During theReconstruction Erathat followed theCivil War, DemocraticRedeemergovernments led by the South'sBourbon aristocracycontinued to dominate the region and imposed explicitlywhite supremacistregimes in the former slave states. The Delaware legislature declared Black people to be second-class citizens in 1866, and restricted their voting rights despite the 15th Amendment, ensuring continued Democratic success in the state throughout most of the 19th century.^[33]Fearful that the1875 Civil Rights Actpassed by Congress might establish racial equality, Delaware legislators passedJim Crow lawsthat mandatedsegregationin public facilities. The state's educational system was segregated by operation of law.^[34]Delaware's segregation was written into the state constitution, which, while providing at Article X, Section 2, that "no distinction shall be made on account of race or color", nonetheless required that "separate schools for white and colored children shall be maintained."^[35]

Beginning in the late 19th century, the Wilmington area grew into a manufacturing center. Investment in manufacturing in the city grew from $5.5 million in 1860 to $44 million in 1900.^[36]The most notable manufacturer in the state was the chemical companyDuPont, which to this day is heavily credited with making the state what it is today in many ways.^[37]Because of Wilmington's growth, local politicians from the city and New Castle County pressured the state government to adopt a new constitution providing the north with more representation. However, the subsequent 1897 constitution did not proportionally represent the north and continued to give the southern counties disproportionate influence.^[38]

As manufacturing expanded, businesses became major players in state affairs and funders of politicians through families such as the Du Ponts. RepublicanJohn Addicksattempted to buy a US Senate seat multiple times in a rivalry with the Du Ponts until the passage of the17th Amendment.^[39]The allegiance of industries with the Republican party allowed them to gain control of the state's governorship throughout most of the 20th century. The GOP ensured black people could vote because of their general support for Republicans and thus undid restrictions on Black suffrage.^[40]

Delaware benefited greatly from World War I because of the state's large gunpowder industry. DuPont, the most dominant business in the state by WWI, produced an estimated 40% of all gunpowder used by the Allies during the war. It produced nylon in the state after the war and began investments intoGeneral Motors.^[41]Additionally, the company invested heavily in the expansion of public schools in the state and colleges such as theUniversity of Delawarein the 1910s and 1920s. This included primary and secondary schools for Black people and women.^[42]Delaware suffered less during theGreat Depressionthan other states, but the depression spurred further migration from the rural south to urban areas.^[43]

Like in World War I, the state enjoyed a big stimulus to its gunpowder and shipyard industries in World War II. New job opportunities during and after the war in the Wilmington area coaxed Black people from the southern counties to move to the city. The proportion of blacks constituting the city's population rose from 15% in 1950 to over 50% by 1980.^[44]The surge of Black migrants to the north sparkedwhite flight, in which middle class whites moved from the city to suburban areas, leading tode factosegregation of Northern Delaware's society. In the 1940s and 1950s, Delaware attempted to integrate its schools, although the last segregated school in the state did not close until 1970.^[45]TheUniversity of Delawareadmitted its first black student in 1948, and local courts ruled that primary schools had to be integrated. Delaware's integration efforts partially inspired the US Supreme Court's decision inBrown v. Board of Education, which found racial segregation in United Statespublic schoolsto be unconstitutional.^[46]The result of theBrownruling was that Delaware became fully integrated, albeit with time and much effort.

In October 1954, the city ofMilfordbecame the scene of one of the country's first pro-segregationboycottsafter eleven Black students were enrolled in the previously all-whiteMilford High School. Mass protests continued in Milford; the school board eventually ceded to the protestors, expelling the Black students.^[47][48][49]The ensuing unrest, which includedcross burnings, rallies, and pro-segregation demonstrations, contributed todesegregationin most of Southern Delaware being delayed for another ten years.Sussex Countydid not start closing or integrating its segregated schools until 1965, 11 years after theBrownruling.^[50]Throughout the state, integration only encouraged more white flight, and poor economic conditions for the black population led to some violence during the 1960s. Riots broke out in Wilmington in 1967 and again in1968 in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, after which the National Guard occupied the city for nine months to prevent further violence.^[51]

Since WWII, the state has been generally economically prosperous and enjoyed relatively high per capita income because of its location between major cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC.^[52]Its population grew rapidly, particularly in the suburbs in the north where New Castle county became an extension of thePhiladelphia metropolitan area.^[53]Americans, including migrants from Puerto Rico, and immigrants from Latin America flocked to the state. By 1990, only 50% of Delaware's population consisted of natives to the state.^[54]

Delaware is 96 miles (154 km) long and ranges from 9 to 35 miles (14 to 56 km) across, with a land area of 1,982 square miles (5,130 km²)^[55]and a total area of 2,489 square miles (6,450 km²),^[56]making it the second-smallest state by either metric in the United States afterRhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north byPennsylvania; to the east by theDelaware River,Delaware Bay,New Jersey, and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west and south byMaryland. Small portions of Delaware are also situated on the eastern side of the Delaware River sharing land boundaries with New Jersey. The state of Delaware, together with theEastern Shore counties of Marylandandtwo counties of Virginia, form theDelmarva Peninsula, which stretches down the Mid-Atlantic Coast.

The definition of the northern boundary of the state is unusual. Most of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania was originally defined by an arc extending 12 miles (19.3 km) from thecupolaof the courthouse in the city ofNew Castle.^[57]This boundary is often referred to as theTwelve-Mile Circle.^[c]Although the Twelve-Mile Circle is often claimed to be the only territorial boundary in the U.S. that is a truearc, the Mexican boundary with Texas includes several arcs,^[58]and many cities in the South (such asPlains, Georgia)^[59]also have circular boundaries.

This border extends all the way east to the low-tide mark on the New Jersey shore, then continues south along the shoreline until it again reaches the 12-mile (19 km) arc in the south; then the boundary continues in a more conventional way in the middle of the main channel (thalweg) of the Delaware River.

To the west, a portion of the arc extends past the easternmost edge of Maryland. The remaining western border runs slightly east of due south from its intersection with the arc.The Wedgeof land between the northwest part of the arc and the Maryland border was claimed by both Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921, when Delaware's claim was confirmed.

Delaware is on a level plain, with the lowest mean elevation of any state in the nation.^[60]Its highest elevation, located atEbright Azimuth, nearConcord High School, is less than 450 feet (140 m) above sea level.^[60]The northernmost part of the state is part of thePiedmont Plateauwith hills and rolling surfaces.

TheAtlantic Seaboard fall lineapproximately follows theRobert Kirkwood HighwaybetweenNewarkandWilmington; south of this road is theAtlantic Coastal Plainwith flat, sandy, and, in some parts, swampy ground.^[61]A ridge about 75 to 80 feet (23 to 24 m) high extends along the western boundary of the state and separates thewatershedsthat feed Delaware River and Bay to the east and theChesapeake Bayto the west.

Since almost all of Delaware is a part of theAtlantic coastal plain, the effects of the ocean moderate its climate. The state lies in thehumid subtropical climate(KöppenCfa) zone. Despite its small size (roughly 100 miles (160 km) from its northernmost to southernmost points), there is significant variation in mean temperature and amount of snowfall between Sussex County and New Castle County. Moderated by the Atlantic Ocean andDelaware Bay, the southern portion of the state has a milder climate and a longer growing season than the northern portion of the state.

Summers are long, hot, and humid in Delaware, often with intense (but brief) late day thundershowers. Delaware averages 2,300 hrs of sunshine annually (higher than the USA average). Winters are modestly cool to cold in northern Delaware, and cool to mild in southern Delaware. The normal seasonal snowfall ranges from about 20.0 inches in Wilmington to only 10.0 inches in Lewes. In many winters no snow will fall in coastal Delaware. Northern Delaware falls into USDA Garden Zone 7a, while southern and coastal areas fall into USDA zone 7b and 8a. The milder climate in southern Delaware allows forsubtropicalflorasuch as thewindmill palm,needle palm, anddwarf palmetto.

Delaware's all-time record high of 110 °F (43 °C) was recorded atMillsboroon July 21, 1930. The all-time record low of −17 °F (−27 °C) was also recorded at Millsboro, on January 17, 1893. Thehardiness zonesare 7B and 8A at theDelaware Beaches.

The transitional climate of Delaware supports a wide variety of vegetation. In the northern third of the state are foundNortheastern coastal forestsand mixedoakforests typical of the northeastern United States.^[62]In the southern two-thirds of the state are foundMiddle Atlantic coastal forests.^[62]Trap Pond State Park, along with areas in other parts of Sussex County, for example, support the northernmost stands ofbald cypresstrees in North America.

Delaware providesgovernment subsidy supportfor theclean-upof property "lightly contaminated" byhazardous waste, the proceeds for which come from a tax on wholesale petroleum sales.^[63]

Wilmington is the state's most populous city (70,635) and its economic hub. It is located within commuting distance of both Philadelphia and Baltimore. Dover is the state capital and the second most populous city (38,079).

• 
  Dover
• 
  Newark
• 
  Seaford
• 
  Wilmington

The table below lists the ten largest municipalities in the state based on the2020 United States census.^[64]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	59,096		—
1800	64,273		8.8%
1810	72,674		13.1%
1820	72,749		0.1%
1830	76,748		5.5%
1840	78,085		1.7%
1850	91,532		17.2%
1860	112,216		22.6%
1870	125,015		11.4%
1880	146,608		17.3%
1890	168,493		14.9%
1900	184,735		9.6%
1910	202,322		9.5%
1920	223,003		10.2%
1930	238,380		6.9%
1940	266,505		11.8%
1950	318,085		19.4%
1960	446,292		40.3%
1970	548,104		22.8%
1980	594,338		8.4%
1990	666,168		12.1%
2000	783,600		17.6%
2010	897,934		14.6%
2020	989,948		10.2%
2023 (est.)	1,031,890		4.2%
Source: 1910–2020[65]

TheUnited States Census Bureaudetermined that the population of Delaware was 989,948 on April 1, 2020,^[66]an increase from the2010 censusfigure of 897,934.^[67][68]

Delaware's history as aborder statehas led it to exhibit characteristics of both theNorthernand theSouthernregions of the United States. Generally, the rural Southern (or "Slower Lower") regions of Delaware below theChesapeake and Delaware Canalembody aSouthern culture,^[69][70]while densely-populated Northern Delaware above the canal—particularly Wilmington, a part of thePhiladelphia metropolitan area—has more in common with that of theNortheastand theNorth.^[71]The U.S. Census Bureau designates Delaware as one of theSouth Atlantic States,^[14]but it is commonly associated with theMid-Atlantic StatesornortheasternUnited States by other federal agencies, the media, and some residents.^{[72][73][74][75][76][77]}

Delaware is the sixth most densely populated state, with a population density of 442.6 people per square mile, 356.4 per square mile more than the national average, and ranking 45th in population. Delaware is one of five U.S. states (Maine,Vermont,West Virginia,Wyoming) that do not have a single city with a population over 100,000 as of the 2010 census.^[78]Thecenter of populationof Delaware is in New Castle County, in the town ofTownsend.^[79]

According toHUD's 2022Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 2,369homelesspeople in Delaware.^[80][81]

According to the 2010 United States census, the racial composition of the state was 68.9%White American(65.3%Non-Hispanic White, 3.6%White Hispanic), 21.4%Blackor African American, 0.5%American IndianandAlaska Native, 3.2% Asian American, 0.0%Native Hawaiianand otherPacific Islander, 3.4% some other race, and 2.7% ofmultiracial origin. People ofHispanicor Latino origin, of any race, made up 8.2% of the population.^[82]

The 2022American Community Surveyestimated the state had a racial and ethnic makeup of 60.6% non-Hispanic whites, 23.6% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.9% multiracial, and 10.1% Hispanic or Latin American of any race.^[83]

In the Native American community, the state has a Native American group, called in their own languageLenape, which was influential in the colonial period of the United States and is today headquartered in Cheswold, Kent County, Delaware.^[84]A band of the Nanticoke tribe of American Indians today resides in Sussex County and is headquartered in Millsboro, Sussex County, Delaware.^[85]

Delaware's population mainly consisted of people from the British Isles, African slaves, Germans and a few remaining Native Americans during the colonial era. Irish, Germans, Italians, Poles, and Russian Jewish immigrants were attracted by the industries in the Wilmington area. In the late 20th century a Puerto Rican community formed in Wilmington. Guatemalan people migrated to Sussex county to work in Delaware's poultry industry. A group of Native Americans in Delaware of mixed ethnicity, the Moors, live in Cheswold. The descendants of the Nanticoke people live around Millsboro. There is also a small numbers of Asians in New Castle county who work as scientific and engineering professionals.^[86]

Delaware racial breakdown of population

Racial composition	1990[87]	2000[88]	2010[89]	2020[90]
White	80.3%	74.6%	68.9%	60.4%
Black	16.9%	19.2%	21.4%	22.1%
Asian	1.4%	2.1%	3.2%	4.3%
Native	0.3%	0.4%	0.5%	0.5%
Native Hawaiianand other Pacific Islander	–	–	–	-
Other race	1.1%	2.0%	3.4%	4.9%
Two or more races	–	1.7%	2.7%	7.7%

The top countries of origin for Delaware's immigrants in 2018 wereMexico,India,Guatemala,China, andJamaica.^[91]

Note: Births in table do not add up because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother

Race	2013[92]	2014[93]	2015[94]	2016[95]	2017[96]	2018[97]	2019[98]	2020[99]	2021[100]	2022[101]
White:	7,204 (66.5%)	7,314 (66.7%)	7,341 (65.7%)	...	...	...	...	...	...	...
>Non-Hispanic White	5,942 (54.8%)	5,904 (53.8%)	5,959 (53.4%)	5,827 (53.0%)	5,309 (48.9%)	5,171 (48.7%)	5,024 (47.6%)	4,949 (47.6%)	5,042 (48.1%)	5,035 (46.6%)
Black	3,061 (28.3%)	2,988 (27.2%)	3,134 (28.1%)	2,832 (25.7%)	2,818 (26.0%)	2,773 (26.1%)	2,804 (26.5%)	2,722 (26.2%)	2,711 (25.9%)	2,853 (26.4%)
Asian	541 (5.0%)	644 (5.9%)	675 (6.1%)	627 (5.7%)	646 (6.0%)	634 (6.0%)	624 (5.9%)	617 (5.9%)	538 (5.1%)	553 (5.1%)
Native American	25 (0.2%)	26 (0.2%)	16 (0.1%)	13 (0.1%)	23 (0.2%)	10 (0.1%)	18 (0.2%)	18 (0.2%)	12 (0.1%)	10 (0.2%)
Hispanic(of any race)	1,348(12.4%)	1,541(14.0%)	1,532(13.7%)	1,432(13.0%)	1,748(16.1%)	1,710(16.1%)	1,737(16.4%)	1,768(17.0%)	1,826(17.4%)	1,996(18.5%)
Total Delaware	10,831(100%)	10,972(100%)	11,166(100%)	10,992(100%)	10,855(100%)	10,621(100%)	10,562(100%)	10,392(100%)	10,482(100%)	10,816(100%)

• Since 2016, data for births ofWhite Hispanicorigin are not collected, but included in oneHispanicgroup; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

In 2000, 91% of Delaware residents of age5 and older spoke only English at home; 5% spoke Spanish. French was the third most spoken language, used by 0.7% of the population, followed by Chinese (0.5%) and German (0.5%). Legislation has been proposed in both the House and the Senate in Delaware to designate English as theofficial language.^[102][103]Neither bill was passed in the legislature.

A 2012 Gallup poll found that Delaware's proportion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults stood at 3.4% of the population. This constitutes a total LGBT adult population estimate of 23,698 people. The number of same-sex couple households in 2010 stood at 2,646. This grew by 41.65% from a decade earlier.^{[104][not specific enough to verify]}On July 1, 2013, same-sex marriage was legalized, and all civil unions were converted into marriages.^{[105][better source needed]}

The predominant religion practiced in Delaware isChristianity. A 2014 estimate by thePew Research Centerfound that members ofProtestantchurches accounted for almost half of the population,^[107]though theRoman Catholic Churchwas the largest single denomination in the state. By 2020, thePublic Religion Research Institutedetermined 61% of the population was Christian.^[108]In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute's survey revealed 60% were Christian, followed byJews(3%),Hindus(1%), andNew Agers(1%).^[109]

TheAssociation of Religion Data Archivesreported in 2010 that the three largest Christian denominational groups in Delaware by number of adherents are theCatholic Churchat 182,532 adherents, theUnited Methodist Churchwith 53,656 members reported, and non-denominationalevangelical Protestants, who numbered 22,973.^[110]In 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives reported the largest Christian denominations were the Catholic Church with 197,094; non-denominational Protestants with 49,392, and United Methodists with 39,959.^[111]

TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Wilmingtonand theEpiscopal Diocese of Delawareoversee the parishes within their denominations. TheA.U.M.P. Church, the oldest African-American denomination in the nation, was founded in Wilmington. It still has a substantial presence in the state. Reflecting new immigrant populations, anIslamic mosquehas been built in theOgletownarea, and aHindu temple in Hockessin.

Delaware is home to anAmishcommunity which resides west ofDoverinKent County, consisting of nine church districts and about 1,650 people. The Amish first settled in Kent County in 1915. In recent years, increasing development has led to the decline in the number of Amish living in the community.^{[112][113][114]}

A 2012 survey of religious attitudes in the United States found that 34% of Delaware residents considered themselves "moderately religious", 33% "very religious", and 33% as "non-religious".^[115]At the 2014Pew Researchsurvey, 23% of the population were irreligious; the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute's survey determined 31% of the population were irreligious.^[108]In 2022, the same study showed 33% of the population as irreligious.^[109]

At the onset of European colonization what is now Delaware was home to a few Native American tribes. By far most of the state's territory was occupied by the Nanticoke (including theAssateague), but northern borderland was occupied by the Lenape.^[116]In addition to these, also theOziniehunted in portions of the state. Today the Nanticoke are still the largest tribe in the state if counting only American Indian Alone population.

The largest Native American tribes in Delaware according to the 2010 census are listed in the table below:^[117]

Tribal groupings with over 95 members in Delaware in 2010 census

Tribal grouping	American Indian and Alaska Native alone	AIAN in combination with one or more other races	Total AIAN alone or in any combination
Total AIAN population	4181	5718	9899
Cherokee	413	1256	1669
Nanticoke	525	339	864
Mexican American Indian	274	94	368
Lenape	212	148	360
Blackfeet	44	292	336
South American Indian	77	85	162
Sioux	34	97	131
Iroquois	42	62	104
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape	73	25	98
Tribe not specified	2059	2941	5000

Average sale price for new and existing homes (in U.S. dollars) ^[118]

DE County	March 2010	March 2011
New Castle	229,000	216,000
Sussex	323,000	296,000
Kent	186,000	178,000

According to a 2020 study by Kiplinger, Delaware had the 17th most millionaires per capita in the United States; altogether, there were 25,937 such individuals. The median income for Delaware households as of 2020 was $64,805.^[119][120]

Delaware's agricultural output consists of poultry, nursery stock,soybeans, dairy products andcorn.

As of October 2019^[update], the state's unemployment rate was 3.7%.^[121]

The state's largest employers are:^{[citation needed]}

• government (State of Delaware, New Castle County)
• education (University of Delaware,Delaware Technical Community College)
• banking (Bank of America,M&T Bank,JPMorgan Chase,Citigroup,Deutsche Bank)
• chemical, pharmaceutical, technology (DuPont de Nemours Inc.,AstraZeneca,Syngenta,Agilent Technologies)
• healthcare (ChristianaCare(Christiana Hospital),Bayhealth Medical Center,Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware)
• farming, specifically chicken farming in Sussex County (Perdue Farms,Mountaire Farms,Allen Family Foods)
• retail (Walmart,Walgreens,Acme Markets)

Since the mid-2000s, Delaware has seen the departure of the state's automotive manufacturing industry (General MotorsWilmington AssemblyandChryslerNewark Assembly), the corporate buyout of a major bank holding company (MBNA), the departure of the state's steel industry (Evraz Claymont Steel), the bankruptcy of a fiber mill (National Vulcanized Fiber),^[122]and the diminishing presence ofAstraZenecain Wilmington.^[123][124]

In late 2015, DuPont announced that 1,700 employees, nearly a third of its footprint in Delaware, would be laid off in early 2016.^[125]The merger ofE.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.andDow Chemical CompanyintoDowDuPonttook place on September 1, 2017.^{[126][127][128][129]}

More than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies, and 63% of theFortune 500, areincorporatedin Delaware.^[130]The state's attractiveness as acorporate havenis largely because of its business-friendlycorporation law.Franchise taxeson Delaware corporations supply about a fifth of the state's revenue.^[131]Although "USA (Delaware)" ranked as the world's most opaque jurisdiction on theTax Justice Network's 2009 Financial Secrecy Index,^[132]the same group's 2011 Index ranks the U.S. fifth and does not specify Delaware.^[133]In Delaware, there are more than a million registered corporations,^[134]meaning there are more corporations than people.

Title 4, chapter 7 of the Delaware Codestipulates that alcoholic liquor be sold only in specifically licensed establishments, and only between 9:00a.m. and 1:00a.m.^[135]Until 2003, Delaware was among the several states enforcingblue lawsand banned the sale of liquor on Sunday.^[136]

Twodaily newspapersare based in Delaware, theDelaware State News, based in Dover and covering the two southern counties, andThe News Journalcovering Wilmington and northern Delaware. The state is also served byseveral weekly, monthly and online publications.

No standalone television stations are based solely in Delaware. The northern part of the state is served by network stations inPhiladelphiaand the southern part by network stations inSalisbury, Maryland. Philadelphia'sABCaffiliate,WPVI-TV, maintains a news bureau in downtown Wilmington. Salisbury'sCBSaffiliate,WBOC-TV, maintains bureaus in Dover and Milton. Three Philadelphia-market stations—PBSmemberWHYY-TV,IonaffiliateWPPX, andMeTVaffiliateWDPN-TV—all have Wilmington as theircity of license, but maintain transmitters at the market antenna farm inRoxborough, Philadelphiaand do not produce any Delaware-centric programming.

There are a numerous radio stations licensed in Delaware.WDDE91.1 FM,WDEL 1150AM,WHGE-LP 95.3 FM, WILM 1450 AM,WVCW 99.5,WMPH91.7 FM,WSTW93.7 FM,WTMC1380 AM andWWTX1290AM are licensed from Wilmington.WRDX92.9 FM is licensed from Smyrna.WDOV1410AM,WDSD94.7 FM and WRTX 91.7 FM are licensed from Dover.

Delaware is home toFirst State National Historical Park, aNational Park Serviceunit composed of historic sites across the state including theNew Castle Court House, Green, and Sheriff's House,Dover Green, Beaver Valley,Fort Christina,Old Swedes' Church,John Dickinson Plantation, and theRyves Holt House.^[137]Delaware has severalmuseums,wildlife refuges,parks,houses,lighthouses, and otherhistoric places.

Rehoboth Beach, together with the towns ofLewes,Dewey Beach,Bethany Beach,South Bethany, andFenwick Island, compriseDelaware's beach resorts. Rehoboth Beach often bills itself as "The Nation's Summer Capital" because it is a frequent summer vacation destination for Washington, D.C., residents as well asvisitors from Maryland, Virginia, and in lesser numbers, Pennsylvania. Vacationers are drawn for many reasons, including the town's charm, artistic appeal, nightlife, and tax-free shopping. According to SeaGrant Delaware, the Delaware beaches generate $6.9billion annually and over $711million in tax revenue.^[138]

Delaware is home to several festivals, fairs, and events. Some of the more notable festivals are the Riverfest held inSeaford, the World ChampionshipPunkin Chunkinformerly held at various locations throughout the state since 1986, the Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral to mark the end of summer, the Apple Scrapple Festival held inBridgeville, theClifford BrownJazz Festival in Wilmington, the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, the Sea Witch Halloween Festival and Parade in Rehoboth Beach, the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, the Nanticoke Indian Pow Wow inOak Orchard,Firefly Music Festival, and the Return Day Parade held after every election inGeorgetown.

In 2015, tourism in Delaware generated $3.1billion, which makes up five percent of the state's GDP. Delaware saw 8.5million visitors in 2015, with the tourism industry employing 41,730 people, making it the 4th largest private employer in the state. Major origin markets for Delaware tourists includePhiladelphia,Baltimore, New York City, Washington, D.C., andHarrisburg, with 97% of tourists arriving to the state by car and 75% of tourists coming from a distance of 200 miles (320 km) or less.^[139]

Delaware is also home to two large sporting venues.Dover Motor Speedwayis a race track in Dover, andFrawley Stadiumin Wilmington is the home of theWilmington Blue Rocks, a Minor League Baseball team that is currently affiliated with the Washington Nationals.

In the early 1920s,Pierre S. du Pontserved as president of the state board of education. At the time, state law prohibited money raised from white taxpayers from being used to support the state's schools for black children. Appalled by the condition of the black schools, du Pont donated four million dollars to construct 86 new school buildings.^[140]

Delaware was the origin ofBelton v. Gebhart(1952), one of the four cases which were combined intoBrown v. Board of Education, theSupreme Court of the United Statesdecision that led to the end of officiallysegregatedpublic schools. Significantly,Beltonwas the only case in which the state court found for the plaintiffs, thereby ruling that segregation is unconstitutional.

Unlike many states, Delaware's educational system is centralized in a state Superintendent of Education, with local school boards retaining control over taxation and some curriculum decisions. This centralized system, combined with the small size of the state, likely contributed to Delaware becoming the first state, after completion of a three-year, $30million program ending in 1999, to wire every K-12 classroom in the state to the Internet.^[141]

As of 2011^[update], the Delaware Department of Education had authorized the founding of 25 charter schools in the state, one of them beingall-girls.^[142]

All teachers in the State's public school districts are unionized.^[143]As of January 2012^[update], none of the State's charter schools are members of a teachersunion.^[143]One of the State's teachers' unions is Delaware State Education Association (DSEA).^[143]

• Delaware College of Art and Design
• Delaware State University
• Delaware Technical & Community College
• Goldey-Beacom College
• University of Delaware—Ranked 63rd in the U.S. and in top 201–250 in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings2018)
• Widener University School of Law
• Wilmington University

The transportation system in Delaware is under the governance and supervision of theDelaware Department of Transportation(DelDOT).^[145][146]Funding for DelDOT projects is drawn, in part, from the Delaware Transportation Trust Fund, established in 1987 to help stabilize transportation funding; the availability of the Trust led to a gradual separation of DelDOT operations from other Delaware state operations.^[147]DelDOT manages programs such as a DelawareAdopt-a-Highwayprogram, major road route snow removal, traffic control infrastructure (signs and signals), toll road management, DelawareDivision of Motor Vehicles, the Delaware Transit Corporation (branded as "DART First State", the state government public transportation organization), and others.

In 2009, DelDOT maintained 13,507 lane-miles, totaling 89 percent of the state's public roadway system, the rest being under the supervision of individual municipalities. This far exceeds the national average (20 percent) for state department of transportation maintenance responsibility.^[148]

One major branch of the U.S.Interstate Highway System,Interstate95(I-95), crosses Delaware southwest-to-northeast across New Castle County. TwoAuxiliary Interstate Highwayroutes are also located in the state.Interstate 495 (I-495)is an eastern bypass of Wilmington.Interstate 295 (I-295)is a bypass of Philadelphia which begins south of Wilmington. In addition to Interstate highways, there are sixU.S. highwaysthat serve Delaware:U.S.9,U.S.13,U.S.40,U.S.113,U.S.202, andU.S.301. There are also several state highways that cross the state of Delaware; a few of them includeDE1,DE9, andDE404. U.S.13 and DE1 are primary north–south highways connecting Wilmington and Pennsylvania with Maryland, with DE1 serving as the main route between Wilmington and theDelaware beaches. DE9 is a north–south highway connecting Dover and Wilmington via a scenic route along theDelaware Bay. U.S.40 is a primary east–west route, connecting Maryland with New Jersey. DE404 is another primary east–west highway connecting theChesapeake Bay Bridgein Maryland with the Delaware beaches. The state also operates three toll highways, the Delaware Turnpike, which is I-95, between Maryland and New Castle; the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, which is DE1, between Wilmington and Dover; and the U.S. 301 toll road between the Maryland border and DE1 in New Castle County.

A bicycle route,Delaware Bicycle Route 1, spans the north–south length of the state from the Maryland border inFenwick Islandto the Pennsylvania border north ofMontchanin. It is the first of several signed bike routes planned in Delaware.^[149]

Delaware has about 875 bridges,^[150]95 percent of which are under the supervision of DelDOT. About 30 percent of all Delaware bridges were built before 1950, and about 60 percent of the number are included in theNational Bridge Inventory.^{[citation needed]}Some bridges not under DelDOT supervision includes the four bridges on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which are under the jurisdiction of theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers,^[151][152]and theDelaware Memorial Bridge, which is under the bi-stateDelaware River and Bay Authority.^[153][154]

It has been noted that thetar and chipcomposition of secondary roads in Sussex County makes them more prone todeteriorationthan are theasphaltroadways in almost the rest of the state.^[155]Among these roads, Sussex (county road) 236 is among the most problematic.^[155]

Three ferries operate in the state of Delaware:

• Cape May–Lewes Ferrycrosses the mouth ofDelaware BaybetweenLewes, DelawareandCape May, New Jersey.
• Woodland Ferry(acable ferry) crosses theNanticoke Riversouthwest ofSeaford.
• Forts Ferry CrossingconnectsDelaware CitywithFort DelawareandFort Mott, New Jersey.

Delaware passenger rail
Legend
Northeast Corridor toPhiladelphia/New York Claymont NWK Wilmington NWK Churchmans Crossing NWK Newark NWK Northeast Corridor toWashington, D.C.
Services
Amtrak&SEPTA Regional Rail Amtrakonly
This diagram: view talk edit

Amtrakhas two stations in Delaware along theNortheast Corridor; the relatively quietNewark Rail StationinNewark, and the busierWilmington StationinWilmington. The Northeast Corridor is also served bySEPTA'sWilmington/Newark Line, part ofSEPTA Regional Rail, which servesClaymont, Wilmington,Churchmans Crossing, and Newark.

TwoClass I railroads,Norfolk SouthernandCSX, provide freight rail service in northern New Castle County. Norfolk Southern provides freight service along the Northeast Corridor and to industrial areas inEdgemoor,New Castle, andDelaware City. CSX'sPhiladelphia Subdivisionpasses through northern New Castle County parallel to the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Multipleshort-line railroadsprovide freight service in Delaware. TheDelmarva Central Railroadoperates the most trackage of the short-line railroads, running from an interchange with Norfolk Southern inPortersouth throughDover,Harrington, andSeafordtoDelmar, with another line running from Harrington toFrankfordand branches fromEllendaletoMiltonand fromGeorgetowntoGravel Hill. The Delmarva Central Railroad connects with theMaryland and Delaware Railroad, which serves local customers in Sussex County.^[156]CSX connects with the freight/heritageoperation, theWilmington and Western Railroad, based in Wilmington and theEast Penn Railroad, which operates a line from Wilmington toCoatesville, Pennsylvania.

The last north–south passenger trains through the main part of Delaware was thePennsylvania Railroad's local Wilmington-Delmar train in 1965.^[157][158]This was a successor to theDel-Mar-Va ExpressandCavalier, which had run from Philadelphia through the state's interior, to the end of the Delmarva Peninsula until the mid-1950s.^[159][160]

TheDART First Statepublic transportation system was named "Most Outstanding Public Transportation System" in 2003 by theAmerican Public Transportation Association. Coverage of the system is broad within northern New Castle County with close association to major highways in Kent and Sussex counties. The system includes bus, subsidized passenger rail operated by Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA, and subsidized taxi andparatransitmodes. The paratransit system, consisting of a statewide door-to-door bus service for the elderly and disabled, has been described by a Delaware state report as "the most generous paratransit system in the United States".^[147]As of 2012^[update], fees for the paratransit service have not changed since 1988.^[147]

As of 2023^[update], Delaware is served exclusively byAvelo Airlinesout ofWilmington Airport, launching five routes to Florida on February 1.^[161][162]This put an end to an eight-month period during which Delaware had no scheduled air service, one of several since 1991.^[163]Various airlines had served Wilmington Airport, the latest departure beingFrontier Airlinesin June 2022.^[164]

Delaware is centrally situated in theNortheast megalopolisregion of cities alongI-95. Therefore, Delawarecommercial airlinepassengers most frequently usePhiladelphia International Airport(PHL),Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport(BWI) andWashington Dulles International Airport(IAD) for domestic and international transit. Residents of Sussex County will also useWicomico Regional Airport(SBY), as it is located less than 10 miles (16 km) from the Delaware border.Atlantic City International Airport(ACY),Newark Liberty International Airport(EWR), andRonald Reagan Washington National Airport(DCA) are also within a 100-mile (160 km) radius of New Castle County.

Other general aviation airports in Delaware includeSummit AirportnearMiddletown,Delaware AirparknearCheswold, andDelaware Coastal AirportnearGeorgetown.

Dover Air Force Base, one of the largest in the country, is home to the436th Airlift Wingand the512th Airlift Wing. In addition to its other responsibilities in theAir Mobility Command, it serves as the entry point andmortuaryfor U.S. military personnel (and some civilians) who die overseas.

Delaware's fourth and current constitution, adopted in 1897, provides for executive, judicial and legislative branches.^[165]

TheDelaware General Assemblyconsists of aHouse of Representativeswith 41 members and aSenatewith 21 members. It sits in Dover, the state capital. Representatives are elected to two-year terms, while senators are elected to four-year terms. The Senate confirms judicial and other nominees appointed by the governor.

Delaware's U.S. Senators areTom Carper(Democrat) andChris Coons(Democrat). Delaware's single U.S. Representative isLisa Blunt Rochester(Democrat).

The Delaware Constitution establishes a number of courts:

• TheDelaware Supreme Courtis the state's highest court.
• TheDelaware Superior Courtis the state's trial court of general jurisdiction.
• TheDelaware Court of Chancerydeals primarily in corporate disputes.
• TheFamily Courthandles domestic and custody matters.
• TheDelaware Court of Common Pleashas jurisdiction over a limited class of civil and criminal matters.

Minor non-constitutional courts include theJustice of the PeaceCourts and Aldermen's Courts.

Significantly, Delaware has one of the few remaining Courts ofChanceryin the nation, which has jurisdiction overequitycases, the vast majority of which are corporate disputes, many relating tomergers and acquisitions. TheCourt of Chanceryand the Delaware Supreme Court have developed a worldwide reputation for rendering concise opinions concerningcorporate lawwhich generally (but not always) grant broad discretion to corporate boards of directors and officers. In addition, theDelaware General Corporation Law, which forms the basis of the Courts' opinions, is widely regarded as giving great flexibility to corporations to manage their affairs. For these reasons, Delaware is considered to have the most business-friendly legal system in the United States; therefore a great number of companies areincorporated in Delaware, including 60% of the companies listed on theNew York Stock Exchange.^[166]

Delaware was the last U.S. state to usejudicial corporal punishment, in 1952.^[167]

The executive branch is headed by theGovernor of Delaware. The current governor isJohn Carney(Democrat), who took office January 17, 2017. The lieutenant governor isBethany Hall-Long. The governor presents a "State of the State" speech to ajoint sessionof the Delaware legislature annually.^[168]

The executive branch also consists of theAttorney General of Delawarecurrently held byKathy Jennings, the State Treasurer currently held byColleen Davis, the Auditor of Accounts currently held byLydia Yorkand the Insurance Commissioner currently held byTrinidad Navarro.

Delaware is subdivided intothree counties; from north to south they areNew Castle,KentandSussex. This is the fewest among all states. Each county elects its own legislative body (known in New Castle and Sussex counties asCounty Council, and in Kent County asLevy Court), which deal primarily in zoning and development issues. Most functions which are handled on a county-by-county basis in other states—such as court and law enforcement—have been centralized in Delaware, leading to a significant concentration of power in the Delaware state government. The counties were historically divided intohundreds, which were used as tax reporting and voting districts until the 1960s, but now serve no administrative role, their only current official legal use being in real estate title descriptions.^[169]

TheDemocratic Partyholds apluralityof registrations in Delaware. Currently, Democrats hold all positions of authority in Delaware, as well as majorities in the state Senate and House. The Democrats have held the governorship since 1993, having won the last seven gubernatorial elections. Democrats presently hold all the nine statewide elected offices, while the Republicans last won any statewide offices in 2014,State AuditorandState Treasurer.

During theFirstandSecond Party Systems, Delaware was a stronghold for theFederalistandWhigParties, respectively. After a relatively brief adherence to the Democratic Solid South following theUS Civil War, Delaware became a Republican-leaning state from1896through1948, voting for losing RepublicansCharles Evans Hughesin1916,Herbert Hooverin1932, andThomas Deweyin 1948.

During the second half of the 20th century, Delaware was a bellwether state, voting for the winner of every presidential election from1952through1996. Delaware's bellwether status came to an end when Delaware voted forAl Gorein2000by 13%. Subsequent elections have continued to demonstrate Delaware's current strong Democratic lean:John Kerrycarried the First State by 8% in2004;Barack Obamacarried it by 25% and by 19% in his two elections of2008and2012; andHillary Clintoncarried it by 11% as she lost the Electoral College in2016. In 2020, Delaware native (and Barack Obama's former vice president and running mate) Joe Biden headed the Democratic ticket; he carried his home state by just shy of 19% en route to a national 4.5% win.^[170]

The dominant factor in Delaware's political shift has been the strong Democratic trend in heavily urbanizedNew Castle County, home to 55% of Delaware's population. New Castle County has not voted Republican in a presidential election since1988, and has given Democrats over 60% of its vote in every election from 2004 on. In 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2016, the Republican presidential candidate carried both Kent and Sussex but lost by double digits each time in New Castle County, which was a large enough margin to tip the state to the Democrats. New Castle County also elects a substantial majority of the state legislature; 27 of the 41 state house districts and 14 of the 21 state senate districts are based in New Castle County.

In a 2020 study, Delaware was ranked as the 18th hardest state for citizens to vote in.^[171]

Each of the 50 states of the United States has passed some form of freedom of information legislation, which provides a mechanism for the general public to request information of the government.^[172]In 2011 Delaware passed legislation placing a 15 business day time limit on addressing freedom-of-information requests, to either produce information or an explanation of why such information would take longer than this time to produce.^[173]A bill aimed at restricting Freedom of Information Act requests, Senate Bill 155, was discussed in committee.^[174]

Tax is collected by theDelaware Division of Revenue.^[175]

Delaware has six differentincome taxbrackets, ranging from 2.2% to 5.95%. The state does not assesssales taxon consumers. The state does, however, impose a tax on the gross receipts of most businesses. Business and occupational license tax rates range from 0.096% to 1.92%, depending on the category of business activity.

Delaware does not assess a state-level tax on real or personal property. Real estate is subject to countyproperty taxes, school district property taxes, vocational school district taxes, and, if located within an incorporated area, municipal property taxes.

Gamblingprovides significant revenue to the state. For instance, thecasino at Delaware Park Racetrackprovided more than $100million to the state in 2010.^[176]

In June 2018, Delaware became the first U.S. state to legalizesports bettingfollowing theSupreme Court ruling to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992(PASPA).^[177]

Voter registration and party enrollment as of April 2024 ^{[update] [178]}

Party		Number of voters	Percentage
	Democratic	351,700	45.46%
	Republican	206,438	26.69%
	Unaffiliated	194,729	25.17%
	Independent Party of Delaware	10,665	1.38%
	Libertarian	2,038	0.26%
	Non-partisan	1,164	0.15%
	Minor parties	6,821
Total		773,555	100.00%

Professional teams

Team	Sport	League
Delaware Black Foxes	Rugby League	USA Rugby League
Delaware Blue Coats	Basketball	NBA G League
Delaware Thunder	Hockey	Federal Prospects Hockey League
Diamond State Roller Girls	Roller derby	Women's Flat Track Derby Association
Wilmington Blue Rocks	Baseball	High-A East

As Delaware has no franchises in the major American professional sports leagues, many Delawareans follow eitherPhiladelphiaorBaltimoreteams. In theWNBA, theWashington Mysticsenjoy a major following due to the presence of Wilmington native and University of Delaware productElena Delle Donne. TheUniversity of Delaware's football teamhas a large following throughout the state, with theDelaware State UniversityandWesley Collegeteams also enjoying a smaller degree of support.

Delaware is home toDover Motor SpeedwayandBally's Dover. Dover Motor Speedway, also known as theMonster Mile, is one of only 10 tracks in the nation to have hosted 100 or moreNASCARCup Series races. Bally's Dover is a popularharness racingfacility. It is the only co-located horse- and car-racing facility in the nation, with the Bally's Dover track located inside the Dover Motor Speedway track.

Delaware is represented inrugbyby the Delaware Black Foxes, a 2015 expansion club.

Delaware has been home toprofessional wrestlingoutfitCombat Zone Wrestling(CZW). CZW has been affiliated with the annual Tournament of Death andECWAwith its annualSuper8 Tournament.

Delaware's official state sport isbicycling.^[179]

Delaware has had a foreignsister statein Japan, namedMiyagi Prefecture.^[180]These two have shared relations since 1997, and have hadexchange programs available for studentsthat were briefly paused in wake of theearthquakeand thetsunamithat ensued in theprefectureduring March 2011.^[181]

Prominent Delawareans include thedu Pont familyof politicians and businesspersons, and the 46th and currentpresident of the United StatesJoe Biden, whose family moved to Delaware during his childhood, and who later represented Delaware for 36 years in theUnited States Senatebefore becoming the 47thvice president of the United States.

• Index of Delaware-related articles
• Outline of Delaware
• Delaware portal
• United States portal

• Kolchin, Peter (1994),American Slavery: 1619–1877, New York: Hill & Wang

• Delaware State Guide, Library of Congress

• State of Delaware(official website)
• Geographic data related toDelawareatOpenStreetMap
• Delaware Tourism homepage
• Delaware Map Data
• Energy & Environmental Data for Delaware
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Delaware
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Delaware State Facts from USDA
• 2000 Census of Population and Housing for Delaware,U.S. Census Bureau
• DelawareatBallotpedia
• DelawareatCurlie
• Delaware State Databases—Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Delaware state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association

First

List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union RatifiedConstitutionon December 7, 1787 (1st)

Succeeded by Pennsylvania

39°00′N75°24′W / 39.0°N 75.4°W /39.0; -75.4 (State of Delaware)