State profile · DE
Largest Cities in Delaware
Ranked by resident population across 79 tracked cities and towns in Delaware, using Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). This compares cities and Census-designated places, not metropolitan areas, and carries the same rows into the chart, table, and downloadable CSV below.
- 79
- Cities
- 435.2K
- Combined city pop.
- $85,961
- Avg median income
- 6.9%
- Avg poverty rate
Data updated August 2026
The headline finding
Wilmington is the largest of 79 tracked cities in Delaware, which ranks #14 of 52 nationally on avg median income.
- Wilmington
- largest tracked city (71,124 people)
- #14
- national rank, avg median income
- 79
- cities tracked in this state
Every figure here is read live from the same table rendered below.
86% of Delaware's 79 tracked cities are small towns under 10,000 people -- none crosses the 1-million-resident mark.
Delaware's city-size mix
How the tracked cities and towns split by resident population
- <10K
Small towns under 10,000 residents
68 tracked cities
- 10K-99K 11
Mid-size cities with 10,000-99,999 residents
11 tracked cities
What this shows Small towns under 10,000 residents are the largest group in PlainCities' Delaware coverage, with 68 of 79 tracked places. This is a count of profiled places, not a share of the state's population.
How we calculate this mix & the national home-value percentile below
Every tracked city in Delaware is bucketed by population: small town under 10,000; mid-size 10,000–99,999; large 100,000–999,999; megacity 1,000,000+. The national home-value comparison below plots Delaware's average tracked-city home value against all 52 US states/territories, ranked the same way as the per-city percentiles: the state's percentile is the share of states with a lower average home value. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
Largest cities in Delaware
By population, hover or tap a bar for income detail
- Wilmington
Wilmington, DE
71,124 residents
- Dover
Dover, DE
39,491 residents
- Newark
Newark, DE
30,309 residents
- Middletown 24,071
Middletown, DE
24,071 residents
- Bear 22,604
Bear, DE
22,604 residents
- Glasgow 16,095
Glasgow, DE
16,095 residents
- Brookside 15,262
Brookside, DE
15,262 residents
- Hockessin 13,608
Hockessin, DE
13,608 residents
- Smyrna 13,031
Smyrna, DE
13,031 residents
- Milford 12,193
Milford, DE
12,193 residents
- Pike Creek Valley 11,992
Pike Creek Valley, DE
11,992 residents
- Claymont 9,543
Claymont, DE
9,543 residents
What this shows Wilmington, DE is the most populous city profiled in Delaware; the top 79 rows are listed below and the complete 79-row record is available as a CSV.
How Delaware ranks nationally
Avg median income
$85,961
#14 of 52 · highest income
Avg home value
$387,859
#14 of 52 · highest values
Avg poverty rate
6.9%
#9 of 52 · lowest poverty
Tracked cities
79
#50 of 52 · most tracked cities
Delaware ranks #14 of 52 nationally on average median income and #9 of 52 on average poverty rate, derived live by comparing it against every other tracked state. Averages are computed only across the cities PlainCities tracks in each state, not full state populations.
How Delaware's home values compare nationally
Average tracked-city home value vs. all 52 US states/territories
$387,859 27th percentile more affordable than 27% of 52 US states
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $50K-wide band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Largest cities in Delaware
What to do with Delaware's city data
79 cities is a lot to browse, here's where to start.
- Wilmington is Delaware's largest tracked city by population, start there if you want the fullest picture of a major DE metro. Wilmington profile
- Hockessin has the highest median household income of any tracked city in Delaware, a different lens than population size alone. Hockessin profile
- See how Delaware's cities stack up nationally, not just against each other. National rankings
City counts and averages on this page cover only the 79 places with sufficient Census ACS data, smaller towns below the reporting threshold are not included.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide similar states
Other states closest to Delaware on two ACS statewide axes: tracked-city population sum and mean of city median household incomes. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a claim that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar statewide population
Nearest 50-state peers by ACS population of tracked cities. This state: 435,168.
Similar mean household income
Nearest peers by mean of city median household incomes. This state: $85,961. Population peers are excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cities does PlainCities track in Delaware?
PlainCities profiles 79 cities and towns in Delaware, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the largest city in Delaware?
Wilmington is the largest tracked city in Delaware, with a population of 71,124.
What is the average household income in Delaware?
Across the 79 tracked cities in Delaware, the average median household income is $85,961. Individual cities vary widely, with Hockessin reporting the highest median income at $172,695.
What is the average poverty rate in Delaware?
The average poverty rate across Delaware's tracked cities is 6.9%, based on Census ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.