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State profile

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state governed from Dover through statewide executive, legislative, judicial, and local institutions.

Capital
Dover
Statehood
December 7, 1787
Counties
3
View Delaware electionsOpen Government Atlas

Page reviewed September 1, 2026

Map showing the Delaware state boundary
Delaware boundaryUnited States Delaware
Official boundary
i
Delaware state outline. Use the Explorer below to browse all 3 counties.

Demographics and civic data

Delaware Stat Overview

Hover or focus a category to preview its information. Select a category to keep it displayed.

Top line

Summary

Six statewide measures
Population1,059,952July 1, 2025 estimate
Land area1,948.6square miles
Population density544.0people per square mile
Counties3official county-equivalent boundaries
U.S. House districts12020 Census apportionment
Electoral votes3U.S. House seats plus two senators

Government snapshot

State representation

Delaware's representation combines federal districts, its bicameral legislature, statewide offices, courts, and local government.

U.S. House districts1current congressional districts
Senate21state legislative seats
House of Representatives41lower-chamber legislative seats
Counties3Census county-equivalent areas
Electoral votes3presidential-election allocation
Statehood1stDecember 7, 1787

Current elections

2026 general election

How elections work here

State election rules

Details being verified

Primary access, candidate-advancement rules, and state contests depend on state law and party rules. A state-specific explanation is being prepared; use the official election-office directory for current guidance.

Election calendar

Confirm dates and deadlines

Use the state election office for the current calendar, registration deadline, and voting options.

Primary access

State-specific details in progress

Party affiliation and ballot-access rules are being verified before they are summarized here.

Certified ballot

Review official contests

The state election office remains the authoritative source for candidates, measures, and certified results.

Current election

Statewide contests

Details coming soon
Statewide officesContest pages coming soon
Legislative racesContest pages coming soon
Ballot measuresMeasure pages coming soon
Election history

Past elections

Results coming soon

Past statewide results will remain visible here as they are added. An official results directory is available now.

Certified resultsPast results coming soon
Statewide measuresPast measures coming soon
TurnoutHistorical turnout coming soon
Open the official results directory
Election information

State-specific candidate, contest, and election-rule details are still being verified. Use the official election-office directory for current information.

Delaware counties

County Explorer

Browse all 3 Census county-equivalent boundaries and compare each area's land area with the rest of the state.

Interactive mapDelaware counties
Profile publishedBoundary only
Preparing county map…
County-equivalent boundaries are from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files.

Government structure

How Delaware government is organized

The executive, legislative, and judicial branches work alongside statewide administration and local government.

Constitutional structure

Branches of state government

The executive, legislative, and judicial branches are presented as distinct systems with direct official links.

Executive1state government

Executive branch

The Governor and statewide executive offices administer Delaware law and state programs.

Explore state government
Judiciary1highest court

Delaware court system

The statewide court structure and direct judicial resources are being verified for this page.

Explore the courts
Governor and court authority

How Delaware Supreme Court seats are filled

Delaware gives the Governor the appointment power while requiring confirmation and constitutional party balance.

Governor's role
Appoints the Chief Justice and associate justices, subject to the court's political-balance requirement.
Approval or selection
The Delaware Senate confirms the appointment.
Continued service
Justices serve 12-year terms and may be reappointed through the same process.
Read the official selection rules
Administration and local government

Statewide and local systems

Use these official links to explore election administration, local government, and the places they serve.

Elections1state authority

State election administration

The state election office publishes voter guidance, candidate records, statewide schedules, and official results.

Open election resources
Local government3counties

Counties

Local government arrangements vary across Delaware. Use the Explorer to browse mapped counties and Find My Area to identify overlapping districts.

Browse mapped areas

State reporting

News about Delaware

Selected reporting about state government and elections will appear here.

State news

More reporting is coming soon

No state-level stories have been selected for this page yet. You can still browse reporting from across Paper Trail Politics.

Browse all news

About this page

Data coverage and sources

This page brings together statewide facts, official election information, local-area boundaries, and government sources. Items that are still being added are labeled on the page.

On this pageAvailable information

The page includes statewide facts, election information and official links, local-area boundaries, government structure, and source details.

Reviewed September 1, 2026
  • Statewide facts and representation
  • Official election information
  • Local-area boundary explorer
  • Government structure and official links
  • Local pages, detailed election results, and selected news are still being added
Sources used on this page7 official sources
U.S. Census Bureau

State population, land area, counties, and the statewide boundary outline.

Visit official source
USAGov state government directory

Official state government, governor, agency, and public-service links.

Visit official source
USAGov election office directory

Official state and local election-office links for registration, voting, and results.

Visit official source
Vote.gov

Official federal entry point for state voter-registration information.

Visit official source
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey

Income, work, demographic, housing, education, internet-access, insurance, and disability measures from the 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates.

Visit official source
National Conference of State Legislatures

State legislative chamber sizes and total membership.

Visit official source
Delaware Courts

Official Supreme Court overview describing appointment, Senate confirmation, terms, and party balance.

Visit official source