The 10 Delaware Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the cities in Delaware with the largest African American population.

Most African American cities in Delaware research summary. We analyzed Delaware’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Delaware based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in Delaware is Wilmington based on the most recent Census data.

  • Wilmington is 56.14% Black.

  • The least African American city in Delaware is Newark.

  • Newark is 8.49% Black.

  • Delaware is 21.5% Black.

  • Delaware is the 7th blackest state in the United States.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Black community is one of the fastest-growing communities in America this decade.

Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in Delaware is 211,387 – at 21.5% of the total population of Delaware.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census’s race and ethnicity definition. Most scholars and historians agree that increasing diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted Delaware? Which cities and towns in Delaware have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Delaware with the largest African American population in 2023:

Most African American Places In Delaware

  1. Wilmington
  2. Dover
  3. Smyrna
  4. New Castle
  5. Seaford
  6. Middl
  7. Milford
  8. Georg
  9. Elsmere
  10. Newark

What’s the blackest city in Delaware? The city with the largest Black population in Delaware for 2023 is Wilmington. See if Wilmington ranked as one of the most african american places in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in Delaware or the most diverse places in Delaware.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Delaware For 2023

1. Wilmington

Wilmington, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 70,926
% African American: 56.14%
# Of African American Residents: 39,817
Percent Change Since 2010: 3.53%
More on Wilmington:  Data | Cost Of Living

2. Dover

Dover, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 38,940
% African American: 39.36%
# Of African American Residents: 15,328
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.84%
More on Dover:  Data | Cost Of Living

3. Smyrna

Smyrna, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,619
% African American: 34.68%
# Of African American Residents: 4,376
Percent Change Since 2010: 74.41%
More on Smyrna:  Data | Cost Of Living

4. New Castle

New Castle, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Ataraxy22 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,482
% African American: 29.68%
# Of African American Residents: 1,627
Percent Change Since 2010: -9.46%
More on New Castle:  Data | Cost Of Living

5. Seaford

Seaford, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Levelhead at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,852
% African American: 29.27%
# Of African American Residents: 2,298
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.21%
More on Seaford:  Data | Cost Of Living

6. Middl

Middl, DE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 23,001
% African American: 25.78%
# Of African American Residents: 5,929
Percent Change Since 2010: 43.98%
More on Middl:  Data

7. Milford

Milford, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,249
% African American: 23.74%
# Of African American Residents: 2,670
Percent Change Since 2010: 59.12%
More on Milford:  Data | Cost Of Living

8. Georg

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,079
% African American: 15.48%
# Of African American Residents: 1,096
Percent Change Since 2010: 17.34%
More on Georg:  Data

9. Elsmere

Elsmere, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Adam Moss | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,167
% African American: 13.15%
# Of African American Residents: 811
Percent Change Since 2010: -22.39%
More on Elsmere:  Data | Cost Of Living

10. Newark

Newark, DE

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 31,393
% African American: 8.49%
# Of African American Residents: 2,666
Percent Change Since 2010: 16.06%
More on Newark:  Data | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Delaware With The Largest Black Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Delaware.

That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people in Delaware. That left us with 10 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 56.1% to 8.5%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Wilmington took the distinction of being the most Black, while Newark was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Delaware with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Delaware ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across Delaware

If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Delaware according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Delaware:

  1. Newark
  2. Elsmere
  3. Georg

For more Delaware reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Delaware

Rank City % African American Population
1 Wilmington 56.14% 70,926
2 Dover 39.36% 38,940
3 Smyrna 34.68% 12,619
4 New Castle 29.68% 5,482
5 Seaford 29.27% 7,852
6 Middl 25.78% 23,001
7 Milford 23.74% 11,249
8 Georg 15.48% 7,079
9 Elsmere 13.15% 6,167
10 Newark 8.49% 31,393
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

One thought on “The 10 Delaware Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023

  1. Would you recommend Middletown, DE is a good place to live? I have family in CT and in Virginia Beach. I lived in PA which also would like recommendations. But I have heard how reasonable DE is to live. I’m just concerned about the best areas that are reasonable and also a good mix of population.

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