America at 250 Delaware Uncovered — 20 Facts About “The First State,” Which Launched the Union in 1787

America at 250: Delaware Uncovered — 20 Facts About “The First State,” Which Launched the Union in 1787

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, a state-by-state journey — from the very first state to ratify the Constitution to the corporate capital of America and tax-free shopping — through the numbers, the history and the emergency lifelines every traveler should carry.

As the United States marks the landmark 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — its semiquincentennial — our state-by-state journey reaches Delaware, and it holds a special place of honor. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the very first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, earning its proud nickname, “The First State.” In a year celebrating the birth of the nation, Delaware can rightly claim to have gone first.

Second-smallest in the Union but mighty in influence, Delaware is the legal home of most of America’s largest corporations, a center of finance and chemistry, and the longtime political base of a U.S. president. What follows is a fact-checked portrait drawn from official sources — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state agencies and federal registries — followed by the safety information every visitor should keep close at hand.

How Big Is Delaware? About 1 Million People in the 2nd-Smallest State

Delaware is one of the smallest states by every measure but one. The U.S. Census Bureau put its population at about 1,051,917 in 2024, and its land area is only around 1,949 square miles, making it the second-smallest state after Rhode Island. Yet it has been growing steadily, drawing retirees and commuters to its beaches and its position within the busy Northeast corridor.

The state has just three counties — New Castle, Kent and Sussex — and its largest city is Wilmington, a banking and corporate hub in the industrialized north. The capital is Dover, in the center of the state, near Dover Air Force Base. To the south lie the popular Atlantic beach towns of Rehoboth, Lewes and Bethany. Delaware’s modest size means residents are never far from either the coast, the city or the surrounding states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.

Geographically, Delaware is low and flat — it has the lowest mean elevation of any U.S. state, rising just a few dozen feet above sea level on average — and it occupies the eastern side of the Delmarva Peninsula, sharing that landmass with parts of Maryland and Virginia. The Delaware River and Bay form its eastern edge and its historic link to the Atlantic and to the port of Philadelphia. Median household income is comfortably above the national average, reflecting the state’s finance and corporate economy.

A Founding History: The 1st State to Ratify the Constitution (1787)

Delaware’s land was originally home to the Lenape (Delaware) people and was colonized in the 1600s by the Dutch and, notably, the Swedes — New Sweden, centered near modern Wilmington, was the first permanent European settlement, introducing the log cabin to America. The colony later fell under English control and was governed alongside Pennsylvania before declaring its own independence.

On December 7, 1787, Delaware made history as the first of the thirteen states to ratify the new U.S. Constitution — beating every other state to the punch and forever earning the title “The First State.” In the centuries since, Delaware became an industrial power through the DuPont company, founded near Wilmington in 1802, which grew into one of the world’s great chemical firms and shaped the state’s economy, philanthropy and culture.

The Economy: About $90 Billion GDP and 1 Million-Plus Companies

Delaware’s economy is small in absolute terms — a GDP of roughly $90 billion — but extraordinary in its specialization. More business entities are legally incorporated in Delaware than there are residents: well over a million companies, including the majority of Fortune 500 corporations and a huge share of publicly traded U.S. firms, are chartered there, drawn by the state’s business-friendly laws and its famous Court of Chancery, a specialized court for corporate disputes.

Beyond incorporation, Delaware is a center of banking and finance (a 1981 law made it a magnet for the credit-card industry), chemical and pharmaceutical research rooted in the DuPont legacy, and agriculture — poultry is the state’s leading farm product, centered in Sussex County. The absence of a state sales tax also makes Delaware a popular shopping destination for residents of neighboring states.

The state’s economic identity is inseparable from the du Pont family and its company, which built gunpowder mills on the Brandywine in the early 1800s and grew into a global chemical empire that funded estates, museums and institutions across the region. Today the corporate-services sector — lawyers, registered agents and financial firms tied to Delaware’s role as the nation’s incorporation capital — is a quiet but enormous part of the economy, generating a significant share of state revenue through franchise taxes and fees.

Schools and Universities: Roughly 140,000 Pupils and the Blue Hens

Delaware’s public schools enroll roughly 140,000 K-12 students across its three counties, and the state has been active in school-choice and charter-school policy despite its small size. Its compact geography allows for relatively coordinated statewide education planning.

In higher education, the University of Delaware in Newark — the state’s flagship, whose teams are known as the Blue Hens — enrolls more than 24,000 students and is a respected research university. Delaware State University in Dover, a historically Black university, and Delaware Technical Community College round out a higher-education system that serves the state and region.

Hospitals and Health Care: About 15 Hospitals

For a small state, Delaware has a solid health-care network of around 15 hospitals. It is anchored by ChristianaCare, whose Christiana Hospital near Newark is one of the largest hospitals on the East Coast, along with Bayhealth in the central part of the state, Beebe Healthcare serving the southern beaches, and Nemours Children’s Hospital, a leading pediatric center.

Delaware’s density and small size mean residents generally enjoy good access to care, and many also use the major medical centers of nearby Philadelphia and Baltimore. The Delaware Division of Public Health coordinates statewide health services.

Getting Around: 1 Commercial Airport and Dover Air Force Base

Delaware’s aviation footprint is small: Wilmington Airport (ILG) is the state’s main commercial-service airport, supplemented by general-aviation fields, and many Delawareans use the large airports in Philadelphia and Baltimore nearby. The state is also home to Dover Air Force Base, one of the largest and most important military airlift bases in the country and home to the nation’s primary mortuary for fallen service members.

On the ground, Delaware sits astride the busy Northeast corridor: Interstate 95 clips through Wilmington, and Amtrak’s main line makes the city a key rail stop between Washington and New York. The Delaware Memorial Bridge and the state’s ports connect it to regional and global trade.

Culture: 3 Grand du Pont Estates and Tax-Free Shopping

Delaware’s cultural crown jewels reflect the wealth of the du Pont family. Three magnificent estates near Wilmington are now public museums: Winterthur, with its renowned collection of American decorative arts and gardens; Hagley Museum, on the site of the original DuPont gunpowder works along the Brandywine; and Nemours Estate, a French-style château and gardens. The Delaware Art Museum and the Biggs Museum in Dover add to the mix.

Delaware’s Atlantic beaches, the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach, colonial-era towns like New Castle and Lewes, and a lively festival calendar draw visitors throughout the year. And thanks to the lack of sales tax, shopping itself is something of a Delaware attraction.

Sport and the Outdoors: 1 “Monster Mile” and the Blue Hens

Delaware has no major professional sports teams, but it has a national sporting landmark: Dover Motor Speedway, the “Monster Mile,” which hosts NASCAR racing and draws huge crowds. College sports revolve around the University of Delaware Blue Hens, whose football program has a proud history, and minor-league baseball provides summer entertainment.

Outdoors, Delaware offers Atlantic beaches, the wildlife refuges and marshes of Delaware Bay, and gentle countryside for cycling and boating. Its small scale makes the whole state accessible for a weekend of recreation.

Faith and Places of Worship: Hundreds of Congregations

Delaware’s religious life reflects its Mid-Atlantic setting. Christianity predominates, with substantial Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and other Protestant communities, alongside growing Jewish, Muslim and other groups, particularly in the Wilmington area, and a share of religiously unaffiliated residents typical of the Northeast.

Because no single official registry counts every congregation, the closest reliable measures come from religious censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data on religious organizations, which together point to several hundred congregations across the state’s three counties.

The Justice System: About 4,900 People Incarcerated

Delaware operates a unified corrections system: the Delaware Department of Correction runs both jails and prisons statewide, since the state has no separate county jails. About 4,900 people were incarcerated under state jurisdiction as of the most recent counts, a figure that has been gradually declining.

The department manages several major correctional facilities and a large community-supervision (probation and parole) population, and Delaware has pursued reforms aimed at reentry and reducing recidivism.

5 Delaware Laws and Distinctions That Set It Apart

Small Delaware wields outsized legal influence, and several of its features are genuinely distinctive:

1. Corporate capital: Delaware’s business-friendly corporate code and its specialized Court of Chancery make it the legal home of over a million companies, including most of the Fortune 500 — a status no other state approaches.

2. No sales tax: Delaware is one of only a handful of states with no state or local sales tax, a major draw for shoppers.

3. The First State: Delaware’s status as the first to ratify the Constitution is both a point of pride and a piece of constitutional history.

4. Banking law: A landmark 1981 law removed interest-rate caps and helped make Delaware a national hub for the credit-card and banking industry.

5. Low property taxes: Delaware has some of the lowest property taxes in the country, part of a generally light tax burden that shapes its economy.

Famous Delawareans: Notable Talent From the First State

Delaware has produced a notable roster of talent. In entertainment, actress and comedian Aubrey Plaza was born in Wilmington, as were actor Ryan Phillippe (New Castle) and acclaimed actress Elisabeth Shue. The great jazz trumpeter Clifford “Brownie” Brown, one of the most influential musicians of his era, was a Wilmington native.

In public life, Delaware is closely associated with President Joe Biden, who represented the state in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and long called Wilmington home, even though he was born in Pennsylvania. From the arts to the White House, the First State’s influence stretches far beyond its small borders.

Who Runs Delaware? Governor Matt Meyer and State Leadership

Delaware’s executive branch is led by Governor Matt Meyer, a Democrat who became the 76th governor of Delaware in January 2025. An attorney, former Peace Corps volunteer and businessman, Meyer previously served as New Castle County Executive before winning the governorship, and he has emphasized affordability, education and responsible growth in his early agenda.

Delaware’s state government features a small number of statewide elected officials alongside the appointed cabinet secretaries who run the executive departments. Key members of state leadership include:

As listed by the State of Delaware and the Office of the Governor (governor.delaware.gov), Delaware’s principal state leaders include:

Source: State of Delaware and the Office of the Governor (governor.delaware.gov). Delaware’s appointed cabinet secretaries lead departments such as Safety & Homeland Security, Correction, Education, Health & Social Services, Transportation and Natural Resources; officeholders change over time.

Traveling to Delaware? 1 App for Every Emergency Number

Whether you are exploring Delaware during this 250th-anniversary year, following its history, or simply passing through, one piece of preparation matters more than any other: knowing who to call in an emergency. The free InfoCons app puts that information in your pocket. Its dedicated SOS section gathers the essential emergency and consumer-protection numbers for the United States and for the individual states, so travelers and residents alike can reach the right service instantly — without searching, without roaming confusion, and without wasting the precious minutes that matter most in a crisis.

Nationwide Emergency Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

Across the United States, the single universal emergency number is 911, which connects callers to police, firefighters, and ambulance services alike. For non-emergency municipal services and information in many cities, 311 is available. The app also lists 1-800-342-3377 for telecommunications complaints and 202-326-2180 for consumer-protection matters at the federal level.

Delaware Emergency and Assistance Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

For Delaware specifically, the InfoCons SOS section provides a detailed directory. The core lifelines are:

Police, Ambulance, and Firefighters: 911. State Police (New Castle): 302-573-2800. Electricity emergency: 1-800-898-8042. Gas emergency: 302-454-0317. Water emergency: 302-855-7379.

Consumer protection: 1-800-220-5424 and 302-577-8600. Attorney General’s Office: 1-800-870-1790. Office of the State Bank Commissioner: 302-739-4235. Insurance Department: 1-800-282-8611. Public Service Commission: 1-800-282-8574.

Support: Delaware Helpline: 1-800-464-4357. Child abuse reporting: 1-800-292-9582. Sexual assault: 1-800-773-8570. Aging and Disability Resource Center: 1-800-223-9074. (The nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached at any time by dialing 988.)

These numbers are provided for convenience and may change over time; in any life-threatening situation, always dial 911 first.

The InfoCons Travel Passport: 1 App, 33 Languages, Every Destination

The InfoCons app is more than an emergency directory — it is designed to function as a genuine “travel passport” for the modern consumer. Available free of charge and offered in 33 internationally spoken languages, it gives users access to accurate, transparent, and independent information wherever they go. For a traveler moving between states — or between countries — that means the emergency numbers, consumer-protection contacts, and practical guidance for each destination are all gathered in a single place, ready before you even land.

The idea is simple but powerful: your safety information should travel with you as reliably as your passport does. Whether you are exploring Delaware during this 250th-anniversary year or planning a trip abroad next month, the InfoCons app aims to be the first thing you check when you arrive somewhere new — helping you make informed decisions, protect your rights as a consumer, and know exactly whom to call if something goes wrong. Download the free InfoCons app and let your phone become your travel passport for a safer, smarter 250th-anniversary year and beyond.

A Fitting Way to Celebrate 250 Years of Independence

Delaware’s story — of New Sweden’s log cabins, of the first state to say “yes” to the Constitution, of du Pont fortunes and a million incorporated companies — makes it a founding cornerstone of the American republic. As the nation celebrates 250 years of independence, it is worth remembering that the Union effectively began, in a legal sense, in Delaware.

To visit the First State is to stand where the United States first came together. And to visit it prepared — with the InfoCons app and its emergency lifelines close at hand — is simply to travel wisely. Here is to the next 250 years — happy semiquincentennial, America.

InfoCons Communication Department