Delaware

Delaware is a state of the United States. It is known as the "First State" because it was the first of the 13 colonies to ratify the United States Constitution, thus making it the first state in the union. Ratification occurred on December 7, 1787.

Demographics

As of 2004, there were an estimated 830,364 people living in Delaware.

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The racial breakdown of the state is:

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• 72.5% White
• 19.2% Black
• 4.8% Hispanic
• 2.1% Asian
• 0.3% Native American
• 1.7% Mixed race

The five largest ancestries in Delaware are: African American (19.2%), Irish (16.6%), German (14.3%), English (12.1%), Italian (9.3%).

Related Topics:
African American - Irish - German - English - Italian

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The Philadelphia suburbs of northern Delaware are heavily Irish, while southern Delawareans are largely of British ancestry. Delaware has the largest black population percentage-wise north of Maryland, and had the largest population of free blacks (17%) prior to the Civil War.

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As of 2000, 90.5% of Delaware residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 4.7% speak Spanish. French is the third most spoken language at 0.7%, followed by Chinese at 0.5% and German at 0.5%.

Related Topics:
English - Spanish - French - Chinese - German

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Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Delware are:

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• Christian – 79%
• Protestant – 68%
• Methodist – 22%
• Baptist – 21%
• Lutheran – 4%
• Presbyterian – 3%
• Pentecostal – 3%
• Other Protestant or general Protestant – 15%
• Roman Catholic – 10%
• Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 2%
• Non-Religious – 19%