Delaware in top 10 fastest-growing states in census report. See state's growth cities

Ben Mace, Delaware News Journal

Updated Mon, January 13, 2025 at 1:48 PM UTC

9 min read

Delaware in top 10 fastest-growing states in census report. See state's growth cities

The population growth in Delaware in 2024 was enough to create the fifth-largest incorporated city in the state, behind Wilmington, Dover, Newark and Middletown.

With a gain of 15,494 people, the First State's population grew by 1.49%, from 1,036,423 on July 1, 2023, to 1,051,917 as of July 1, 2024, in figures announced by the U.S. Census Bureau on Dec. 19.

That's the eighth-highest percentage growth among all states.

Here's the top 10 list of states by percentage growth:

1. Florida, 2.04% growth, from 22,904,868 on July 1, 2023, to 23,372,215 on July 1, 2024 – a gain of 467,347 people
2. Texas, 1.83% growth, from 30,727,890 to 31,290,831 – a gain of 562,941 people
3. Utah, 1.75% growth, from 3,443,222 to 3,503,613 – a gain of 60,391 people
4. South Carolina, 1.69% growth, from 5,387,830 to 5,478,831 – a gain of 91,001 people
5. Nevada, 1.65% growth, from 3,214,363 to 3,267,467 – a gain of 53,104 people
6. Idaho, 1.55% growth, from 1,971,122 to 2,001,619 – a gain of 30,497 people
7. North Carolina, 1.51% growth, from 10,881,189 to 11,046,024 – a gain of 164,835 people
8. Delaware, 1.49% growth, from 1,036,423 to 1,051,917 – a gain of 15,494 people
9. Arizona, 1.46% growth from 7,473,027 to 7,582,384 – a gain of 109,357 people
10. New Jersey, 1.29% growth, from 9,379,642 to 9,500,851 – a gain of 121,209 people

Most annual growth in US since 2001

The U.S. population grew by nearly 1% between 2023 and 2024, surpassing 340 million.

"This is the fastest annual population growth the nation has seen since 2001, a notable increase from the record low growth rate of 0.2% in 2021," the Census Bureau reported.

The growth was primarily driven by rising international migration.

"With a net increase of 2.8 million people, it accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million increase in population between 2023 and 2024. This reflects a continued trend of rising international migration, with a net increase of 1.7 million in 2022 and 2.3 million in 2023," the Census Bureau said.

Net international migration was positive in all 50 states.

The top three states for international migration were Florida, 411,322; California, 361,057; and Texas, 319,569.

As for domestic migration – people moving from one state to another – the three states with the highest net migration were Texas, 85,267; North Carolina, 82,288; and South Carolina, 68,043.

More on Delaware growth: Two laws promoting high density housing in New Castle County now in effect

The states with the most losses from domestic migration were California, a decrease of 239,575; New York, a decrease of 120,917; and Illinois, a drop of 56,235.

Three states saw their populations fall slightly between 2023 and 2024: West Virginia, a loss of 516 people; Vermont, a loss of 215 and Mississippi, a decrease of 127, compared to two states that lost population between 2022 and 2023.

Did Delaware pass any states in population?

Delaware was the 45th state by population in the 2020 Census and that ranking didn't change in the 2023 or 2024 figures. The only change in the bottom 10 states from 2020 to 2024 was Montana moving up to the 43rd state, passing Rhode Island.

Here are the bottom 10 states in population in 2024:

41. New Hampshire: 1,409,032 in July 1, 2024 vs. 1,377,546 in the April 1, 2020 census
42. Maine: 1,405,012 in 2024 vs. 1,363,196 in 2020
43. Montana: 1,137,233 in 2024 vs. 1,084,216 in 2020
44. Rhode Island: 1,112,308 in 2024 vs. 1,097,354 in 2020
45. Delaware: 1,051,917 in 2024 vs. 989,955 in 2020
46. South Dakota: 924,669 in 2024 vs. 886,729 in 2020
47. North Dakota: 796,568 in 2024 vs. 779,046 in 2020
48. Alaska: 740,133 in 2024 vs. 733,395 in 2020
49. Vermont: 648,493 in 2024 vs. 643,082 in 2020
50. Wyoming: 587,618 in 2024 vs. 576,844 in 2020

Where is the most growth in Delaware?

Edward Ratledge, director of the University of Delaware's Center for Applied Demography & Survey Research , said his team is still looking over the population numbers and awaiting more details from the U.S. Census Bureau.

However, the trend of people moving to Delaware to retire is continuing, especially in Sussex County, he said.

"It started in the early-to-middle 1980s. There's nothing new about it," Ratledge said. "Basically, we see Sussex County is the only county that's growing significantly by net in-migration, and it's been true for years."

However, the latest numbers are a spike.

"We normally see 7,000 to 9,000 per year for net in-migration, but these numbers [the U.S. Census] had were an average of 13,000 to 15,000," Ratledge said.

He and his team are examining data from the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service and records of births and deaths to find where the changes occurred.

"We certainly have a lot of out-of-staters moving in from New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and some from out of the country," Ratledge said.

But his team is also looking to see if people are moving to Sussex County from New Castle County and Kent County as well.

"There might be people who lived primarily in New Castle County and had a vacation home in Sussex County, but when they retire, they move to their home in Sussex County year-round," Ratledge said. "There are also people who served at Dover Air Force Base and when they retire, they may move from Kent to Sussex County."

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Top cities by population and growth in Delaware

The population numbers for incorporated towns and cities were available for 2023 from the U.S. Census.

The top 20 municipalities in Delaware by population within town or city limits as of 2023 are:

1. Wilmington 71,675
2. Dover 39,894
3. Newark 30,169
4. Middletown 25,022
5. Milford 13,289
6. Smyrna 13,277
7. Seaford 8,735
8. Georgetown 7,873
9. Millsboro 7,637
10. Elsmere 6,157
11. New Castle 5,549
12. Clayton 4,399
13. Laurel 4,275
14. Camden 4,188
15. Harrington 3,860
16. Milton 3,675
17. Lewes 3,604
18. Selbyville 3,184
19. Ocean View 2,937
20. Townsend 2,832

The 20 municipalities with the most growth in population inside town or city limits from the April 2020 census to July 1, 2023 were:

1. Milford with a gain of 2,104 people from 11,185 in April 2020 to 13,289 in July 2023
2. Middletown with a gain of 1,826 people from 23,196 to 25,022
3. Seaford with a gain of 789 people from 7,946 to 8,735
4. Wilmington with a gain of 783 people from 70,892 to 71,675
5. Millsboro with a gain of 738 people from 6,899 to 7,637
6. Georgetown with a gain of 732 people from 7,141 to 7,873
7. Camden with a gain of 479 people from 3,709 to 4,188
8. Dover with a gain of 472 people from 39,422 to 39,894
9. Clayton with a gain of 438 people from 3,961 to 4,399
10. Laurel with a gain of 404 people from 3,871 to 4,275
11. Smyrna with a gain of 397 people from 12,880 to 13,277
12. Milton with a gain of 353 people from 3,322 to 3,675
13. Cheswold with a gain of 334 people from 1,923 to 2,257
14. Lewes with a gain of 304 people from 3,300 to 3,604
15. Selbyville with a gain of 303 people from 2,881 to 3,184
16. Ocean View with a gain of 292 people from 2,645 to 2,937
17. Bridgeville with a gain of 271 people from 2,558 to 2,829
18. Millville with a gain of 204 people from 1,845 to 2,049
19. Delmar with a gain of 191 people from 2,025 to 2,216
20. Wyoming with a gain of 188 people from 1,680 to 1,868

What states have the highest population?

California still tops the list of largest states by population with more than 39 million people. The state gained population from 39,198,693 on July 1, 2023 to 39,431,263 on July 1, 2024, but has lost residents compared to the 2020 census number of 39,555,674.

Here are the top 10 states by population as of July 1, 2024:

1. California 39,431,263
2. Texas 31,290,831
3. Florida 23,372,215
4. New York 19,867,248
5. Pennsylvania 13,078,751
6. Illinois 12,710,158
7. Ohio 11,883,304
8. Georgia 11,180,878
9. North Carolina 11,046,024
10. Michigan 10,140,459

There was no change in the order of the top 10 in July 2024 compared to July 2023 or to the 2020 census.

Another perspective from a national moving company

Moving and storage company U-Haul reported that Delaware is 21st in its rankings of growth states in 2024.

The " U-Haul Growth Index " analyzes one-way customer transactions during the past year to see which states have the most people moving in compared to people moving out using U-Haul services.

Delaware backslides six spots from its 2023 ranking but registers as a net-gain state with more one-way U-Haul arrivals than departures for the third straight year.

"Delaware is a cool state because you have everything you could want in a small geographical area," said Elizabeth Hertzler, U-Haul area district vice president.

With Wilmington and the neighboring cities of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, "you have that big metro feel, but if you drive an hour south, you will be at some of the prettiest beaches on the East Coast. It's city life and relaxation all in the same place," Hertzler said.

"I think people are moving here because they are looking for a simpler life. They want all the amenities of a well-populated area without being overwhelmed by population," she said.

South Carolina climbs three spots to dethrone Texas as the top growth state in U-Haul's rankings. Texas is second for 2023, followed by North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee.

California ranks 50th for the fifth year in a row with the largest net loss of one-way U-Haul customers.

Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate, development and business news. Reach him at rmace@gannett.com.

(This story was updated to add a photo gallery and to remove a graphic.)

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware among fastest-growing states in latest census estimate