The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Delaware For 2024


The fastest-growing cities in Delaware are Millsboro and Middl for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Is being in an area of Delaware that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask.

Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Wilmington and Dover, while others want peace and quiet like in New Castle and Elsmere, thank you very much.

But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Delaware have grown the fastest.

After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the First State that have people climbing over each other to get in.


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


The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Delaware For 2024

  1. Millsboro
  2. Middl
  3. Smyrna
  4. Claymont
  5. Milford
  6. Bear
  7. Edgemoor
  8. Georg
  9. Seaford
  10. Dover

Fastest Growing Cities In Delaware Map

What’s the fastest growing city in Delaware for 2024? Based on the most recent ACS data, Millsboro ranks as the fastest-growing city in Delaware. If you happen to be a resident of Millsboro, you’re probably not surprised to find it on our list.

If you’re surprised — and you’re wondering why these places are a big deal — keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Delaware grow like weeds.

For more Delaware state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Delaware For 2024

1. Millsboro

Millsboro, DE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 6,876
Population 2010: 3,640
Percent Growth 88.9%
Absolute Growth: 3,236
More on Millsboro: Data | Crime | Real Estate

2. Middl

Middl, DE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 23,573
Population 2010: 16,648
Percent Growth 41.6%
Absolute Growth: 6,925
More on Middl: Data | Real Estate

3. Smyrna

Smyrna, DE

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

6
/10

Population: 12,870
Population 2010: 9,330
Percent Growth 37.9%
Absolute Growth: 3,540
More on Smyrna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

4. Claymont

Claymont, DE

Source: Wikipedia User Vincenttheuser | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,191
Population 2010: 7,511
Percent Growth 35.7%
Absolute Growth: 2,680
More on Claymont: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

5. Milford

Milford, DE

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

6
/10

Population: 11,714
Population 2010: 9,180
Percent Growth 27.6%
Absolute Growth: 2,534
More on Milford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

6. Bear

Bear, DE

Source: Wikipedia User JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 23,070
Population 2010: 18,748
Percent Growth 23.1%
Absolute Growth: 4,322
More on Bear: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

7. Edgemoor

Edgemoor, DE

Source: Flickr User thisisbossi | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,485
Population 2010: 5,378
Percent Growth 20.6%
Absolute Growth: 1,107
More on Edgemoor: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

8. Georg

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,247
Population 2010: 6,154
Percent Growth 17.8%
Absolute Growth: 1,093
More on Georg: Data | Real Estate

9. Seaford

Seaford, DE

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

5
/10

Population: 8,055
Population 2010: 6,945
Percent Growth 16.0%
Absolute Growth: 1,110
More on Seaford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

10. Dover

Dover, DE

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

4
/10

Population: 38,879
Population 2010: 35,474
Percent Growth 9.6%
Absolute Growth: 3,405
More on Dover: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the First State for 2024

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2022)

We ranked all 21 Delaware cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the First State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

The data has been updated for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the fastest growing cities in Delaware.

Here’s a graph of the cities in Delaware with the most significant percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in Delaware Graph For 2024

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Delaware, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Delaware are led by Millsboro which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

The fastest-growing cities in Delaware are Millsboro, Middl, Smyrna, Claymont, Milford, Bear, Edgemoor, Georg, Seaford, and Dover.

It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Pike Creek
  2. Glasgow
  3. Newark

For more Delaware reading, check out:

Fastest Growing Places In Delaware For 2024

Rank City Population Population 2010 Growth Absolute Growth
1 Millsboro 6,876 3,640 88.9% 3,236
2 Middl 23,573 16,648 41.6% 6,925
3 Smyrna 12,870 9,330 37.9% 3,540
4 Claymont 10,191 7,511 35.7% 2,680
5 Milford 11,714 9,180 27.6% 2,534
6 Bear 23,070 18,748 23.1% 4,322
7 Edgemoor 6,485 5,378 20.6% 1,107
8 Georg 7,247 6,154 17.8% 1,093
9 Seaford 8,055 6,945 16.0% 1,110
10 Dover 38,879 35,474 9.6% 3,405
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.