Delaware · 11 places of 5,000+

Largest cities in Delaware by population

Short answer

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware with 73,176 residents in 2024, followed by Dover (40,191) and Newark (30,506).
Largest
73,176
Places 5,000+
11
100,000+
0

The 11 largest

Wilmington leads with 73,176 residents, 1.8 times the 40,191 of second-place Dover. The ten largest places hold 228,112 people, 22% of the state's 1,051,917. No place in Delaware reaches 100,000.

The median place of 5,000+ is Smyrna at 13,326. Within the top ten, Milford grew most since July 2020 (+24.5%) and Newark least (-0.3%). 2 of the 11 places cross a county line; their totals include every county part.

  1. 01Wilmington73,176
  2. 02Dover40,191
  3. 03Newark30,506
  4. 04Middletown25,686
  5. 05Milford14,079
  6. 06Smyrna13,326
  7. 07Seaford8,952
  8. 08Georgetown8,098
  9. 09Millsboro7,864
  10. 10Elsmere6,234
  11. 11New Castle5,715
July 1, 2024 population, Census Vintage 2024.

Dots: the 11 places in the chart. Orange pin: Wilmington, ranked first.

All 11 places of 5,000+ ranked

#Place2024Since 2020County
1Wilmington73,176+3.3%New Castle County
2Dover40,191+2.0%Kent County
3Newark30,506-0.3%New Castle County
4Middletown25,686+9.8%New Castle County
5Milford14,079+24.5%Sussex County +1
6Smyrna13,326+2.8%Kent County +1
7Seaford8,952+12.2%Sussex County
8Georgetown8,098+12.6%Sussex County
9Millsboro7,864+13.3%Sussex County
10Elsmere6,234+0.2%New Castle County
11New Castle5,715+3.1%New Castle County
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates. Counties from the SUMLEV 157 county parts.

Questions people ask

What is the largest city in Delaware?

Wilmington, with 73,176 residents on July 1, 2024 in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

What is the second largest city in Delaware?

Dover, with 40,191 residents, 32,985 fewer than Wilmington.

How many cities in Delaware have more than 100,000 people?

None. The largest, Wilmington, has 73,176.

How is city size measured here?

By the Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 population estimate for each incorporated place, inside its legal city limits. Metro areas and census-designated places are not ranked.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, places

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.