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Delaware is still solid in its population growth, but many cities are seeing slower growth while the rural areas are growing fast. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ADOBE STOCK[/caption]
Did you know there are only 10 towns and cities in New Castle County? And there’s about 30 places with enough people to be recognized by the U.S. Census and other unincorporated communities?
A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Census updated its estimates for cities and town populations for 2023. It’s a great bird’s eye view of how Delaware is growing — or shrinking — in a rapidly changing world that’s been driven by the housing market and work-from-home trends.
Overall, the story is Delaware has grown by 14% since 2010. Small number for a small state, but the U.S. Census shows that we have hit 1 million people for the first time and still continue to grow. On the whole, we continue to grow more diverse from the Delaware I grew up in; in the 1990s, 80% of the state’s population was white. That number this decade is around 60%, noting increases in Black and Asian populations, as well as those who identify as other races or two two or more races.
What fascinates me the most, however, is where Delaware is growing. The numbers bear out that the years between 2020 and 2022 were good in drawing people to the state, likely because of home prices compared to neighboring states and a more agreeable tax climate in general (no sales tax or taxes on Social Security benefits). We’ve reported many times on how retirees are flocking to Sussex County to be close to the beach, and how that’s flipping the script when it comes to development, home prices, the trades industry and the need for medical services.
But what the updated numbers this time show is where exactly Delaware is growing. The answer to that question is, in some ways, expected, and others are surprising.
Delaware’s three largest cities —Wilmington, Dover and Newark — are either at flat growth or small drops. Of the three towns, Newark is the only city that saw its population drop over the last three years consistently, though it’s rebounded close to where it was back in 2020.
Wilmington has grown by 1.37%, or by close to a thousand people, over the past three years. Mayor Mike Purzucki told me earlier this week that he thinks the city is on the cusp of change, driven largely by the work-from-home trends that have upended how Americans view how to choose plant roots. The population growth is driven in part, the city officials claim, by “thousands of market rate apartments” throughout the city and at the Riverfront. In the last five years, Wilmington officials report that the city has issued $2 billion in building permits.
But where is Delaware growing the most? The simplest answer is: south.
About 25 incorporated areas in Delaware grew by 10% in the past three years and all of them were in Kent and Sussex County. The city with the top growth rate was Milford, a dual county city which grew at a rate around 17%, ranking it as one of the top five populated areas in Delaware to date. It grew by 2,000 people, the only one to do so in the last three years. Middletown was the only municipality to get close at 1,800 people.
As for the rest of the top growing areas of southern Delaware, some of them are considered to be prime to drive to the beach like Millville, Ocean View and Milton. Others have such a small population, like Cheswold in Kent County and Blades in Sussex County that even a few families moving in its limits make a big impact.
But to me, as someone who spent three years learning about Kent and Sussex County, it’s eye-opening to see Camden and Clayton ranked among the top five growing areas. Both are close to Kent County’s largest cities, Smyrna and Dover, meaning those areas are starting to see the same growth, opportunities and challenges that Sussex has been wrestling with for years.
The smaller towns perhaps feel the impact the most, in terms of adjusting to the growing pains. Where once there were quiet backroads and long drives to get groceries, there’s more congestion and more shopping centers with more amenities. And of course, there’s the impact to our local schools, fire, police, water, sewer service and more.
Kent County has been eagerly working for years in terms to make a top-notch environment for business and families to stay, and it’s often found its business growth with small to medium manufacturers and distributors. But that story may be changing as the years go by, and I would urge the leaders there to start considering how they want to grow – and pick up a few lessons learned in other parts of the state.
