State bird
Blue Hen Chicken
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeDover ·
U.S. States / South · Card 008
Delaware
The First State
First State National Historical Park preserves several separate sites rather than one continuous landscape.
Delaware and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Delaware.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Dover
- Postal abbreviation
- DE
- Population
- 1,059,952July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 6,446 km²2,489 square miles · land and water
- Constitution ratified
- December 7, 1787One of the original thirteen states
- Region
- South
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
Our Delaware
Sources: Designation & background
State dessert
Peach pie
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
02
Landscape & places
First State National Historical Park preserves several separate sites rather than one continuous landscape. Together they explain colonial settlement, government and the events that led to Delaware’s early ratification of the Constitution.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 5,047 km² of land and 1,399 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The state coat of arms inside a buff-colored diamond on a blue field, with December 7, 1787 below.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · First State
How the landscape works
A historical park can consist of separate sites connected by a theme. First State National Historical Park is useful for learning this distinction: its sites illuminate settlement and government rather than forming one uninterrupted wilderness. To understand such a park, ask what each location contributes to the story and why the sites belong together. Geographic separation does not mean historical separation.
History
What “First State” means
After the Constitutional Convention finished its work in 1787, the proposed Constitution went to the states for ratification. Ratification meant approval through state conventions. The document required nine states to approve it before the new federal system could take effect among the ratifying states.
Delaware’s convention approved the Constitution on December 7, 1787, before any other state. That is why Delaware is called the First State. The title refers to the order of constitutional ratification, not to the earliest Indigenous settlement or the first European colony. Delaware had already established a separate government in 1776.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, in December 1787. Ratification meant formally approving that document. It did not mean Delaware was the first place inhabited, the first colony established, or the only state involved in creating the country. The nickname describes a specific constitutional event, not every possible meaning of being first.
Key dates
-
Separate state government established
-
First state to ratify the U.S. Constitution
-
Constitution ratified · One of the original thirteen states
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Nanticoke Indian Association presents community history and cultural work in Delaware. The state’s ratification story is one part of its history, not the beginning of life and community in the region.
Continue with Nanticoke Indian Association. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Delaware and Maryland
| Measure | Delaware | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 1,059,952 | 6,265,347 |
| Land area (km²) | 5,047 | 25,142 |
| People per km² of land | 210.0 | 249.2 |
Maryland has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Maryland.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, finance and insurance was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included real estate and rental and leasing, professional and business services, and government and government enterprises.
Total economic output was $117.2 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Finance and insurance: 25.8%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 19.9%
- Professional and business services: 10.6%
- Government and government enterprises: 8.6%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people1.062025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 991,890 |
| 2021 | 1,005,130 |
| 2022 | 1,020,279 |
| 2023 | 1,035,354 |
| 2024 | 1,050,123 |
| 2025 | 1,059,952 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars87.282025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 68,291.9 |
| 2011 | 71,103.5 |
| 2012 | 70,562.4 |
| 2013 | 68,656.8 |
| 2014 | 73,961.7 |
| 2015 | 76,211.2 |
| 2016 | 71,941.4 |
| 2017 | 69,555.6 |
| 2018 | 70,856.4 |
| 2019 | 74,627.8 |
| 2020 | 72,728.8 |
| 2021 | 75,205.5 |
| 2022 | 81,111.8 |
| 2023 | 82,090.9 |
| 2024 | 85,350.5 |
| 2025 | 87,281.1 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Delaware’s population increased by about 6.9% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 32024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 12020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections. The state elects one U.S. representative at large, serving the whole state.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Delaware
Show a hint
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.