New Castle County, Delaware: commercial real estate data.
New Castle County, Delaware has a population of 577,961 across 426 square miles, up 3.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $75.96 bn in 2024, 17,855 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 747 7(a) approvals worth $320.6 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency
New Castle County
How many people live in New Castle County
- Population577,961
- Households224,173
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$91,166
- Median age39.3
- Median gross rent$1,448 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$352,200
- Home value to household income3.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher39.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree17.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over402,879
- Population under 18122,695
- Share under 1821.2 percent
- Population 65 and over98,558
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64356,708
- Civilian labor force307,946
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over67.6 percent
- Rank by population among Delaware counties1st of 3
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents122nd
New Castle County is the 1st largest of 3 Delaware counties by population. A median home costs 3.9 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.2 percent against 17.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
New Castle County
Is New Castle County's population growing?
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.04 percent
- Census 2020 base population570,721
- Births, 20245,904
- Deaths, 20245,270
- Natural change, 2024634
- Net domestic migration, 2024-90
- Net international migration, 20245,209
- Total net migration, 20245,119
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,365
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents862nd
The county has grown 3.04 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
New Castle County
Where are people moving to New Castle County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving12,561
- People arriving, from those returns21,216
- Adjusted gross income arriving$987.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$78,585
- Largest single originNew Castle County Non-migrants (219,455 households)
- Largest single destination (219,455 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County Non-migrants | 219,455 | 425,907 | $21.16 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 2,648 | 4,410 | $209.2 m |
| Philadelphia County | 1,400 | 2,560 | $85.8 m |
| Delaware County | 1,269 | 2,315 | $83.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 1,262 | 2,165 | $98.0 m |
| Kent County | 795 | 1,294 | $44.4 m |
| Chester County | 704 | 1,201 | $90.3 m |
| Cecil County | 540 | 885 | $31.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is New Castle County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
New Castle County
What is the New Castle County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$75.96 bn
- County GDP, 2023$71.27 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.6 percent
- GDP change over five years38.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Delaware counties1st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents71st
- GDP per resident$131,434
Output grew 6.6 percent in the latest year and 38.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
New Castle County
Largest employers in New Castle County
- Covered employment, annual average303,806
- Establishments reporting27,696
- Average annual pay$80,334
- Average weekly wage$1,545
- Sector 62, employment53,019
- Sector 62, average annual pay$73,518
- Sector 52, employment38,330
- Sector 52, average annual pay$133,584
- Sector 44-45, employment28,448
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$40,563
- Sector 72, employment22,568
- Sector 72, average annual pay$26,289
- Sector 54, employment21,314
- Sector 56, employment18,126
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 53,019 | 3,676 | $73,518 |
| Sector 52 | 38,330 | 1,598 | $133,584 |
| Sector 44-45 | 28,448 | 2,110 | $40,563 |
| Sector 72 | 22,568 | 1,402 | $26,289 |
| Sector 54 | 21,314 | 6,129 | $136,043 |
| Sector 56 | 18,126 | 2,894 | $58,651 |
| Sector 48-49 | 17,908 | 692 | $53,068 |
| Sector 23 | 14,737 | 2,037 | $82,564 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 53,019 jobs, 17.5 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
New Castle County
How many businesses are in New Castle County?
- Establishments, all industries17,855
- Employment at those establishments306,745
- Annual payroll$24.91 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents30.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
New Castle County
Building permits in New Castle County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,586
- Declared construction value permitted$229.1 m
- Single family units authorised1,364
- Multifamily units authorised222
- Multifamily share of units14.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$144,435
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.1
Multifamily is 14.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
New Castle County
SBA loans in New Castle County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded747
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$320.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$429,190
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,200,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)6,735
- Jobs per approval9.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active75
- Distinct industries receiving approvals236
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer7.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms54
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter649
- Franchise loans87
- Franchise share of approvals11.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (31)
- Most active lenderManufacturers and Traders Trust Company (185)
- 504 approvals recorded61
- 504 gross approval dollars$62.9 m
- Average 504 approval$1,031,361
- Median 504 approval$657,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval15.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.6
- Most active CDCDelaware Community Development Corporation (49)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals92.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$383.5 m
The average approval of $429,190 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 7.2 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
New Castle County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in New Castle County
Do SBA loans in New Castle County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded116
- Paid in full92
- Charged off24
- Charge off rate on resolved loans20.7 percent
- Status: Cancelled99
- Status: Paid in full92
- Status: Exempt from disclosure465
- Status: Charged off24
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed67
Of the 116 loans that have reached a final outcome, 20.7 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
New Castle County
SBA lending by place in New Castle County
- Places in the county with recorded lending24
- WILMINGTON, approvals336
- NEWARK, approvals150
- Middletown, approvals75
- New Castle, approvals69
- BEAR, approvals44
- CLAYMONT, approvals15
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| WILMINGTON | 336 | $140,626,000 |
| NEWARK | 150 | $76,823,900 |
| Middletown | 75 | $26,334,400 |
| New Castle | 69 | $33,343,100 |
| BEAR | 44 | $11,069,000 |
| CLAYMONT | 15 | $5,430,000 |
| HOCKESSIN | 13 | $4,940,900 |
| NEWPORT | 8 | $5,367,000 |
WILMINGTON accounts for 336 approvals against 150 in NEWARK. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
New Castle County
How large is New Castle County?
- Land area426 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Delaware counties3rd of 3
- Width, east to west19.9 mi
- Height, north to south37.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary1
- Residents per square mile of land1,357
- Establishments per square mile41.91
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a New Castle County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a New Castle County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population577,961
- Households224,173
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$91,166
- Median age39.3
Common questions
New Castle County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in New Castle County, Delaware?
577,961, in 224,173 households, ranking 1st of 3 Delaware counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is New Castle County's population growing?
The population has grown 3.04 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 5,904 births against 5,270 deaths, with net migration of 5,119. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in New Castle County?
$91,166. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $352,200, which is 3.9 times income, and median gross rent is $1,448 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in New Castle County?
17,855 establishments, employing 306,745 people with an annual payroll of $24.91 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in New Castle County?
Average annual pay is $80,334, or $1,545 a week, across 303,806 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in New Castle County?
747 7(a) approvals totalling $320.6 m since FY2020, across 75 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 61 504 approvals worth $62.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in New Castle County get paid back?
Of the 116 loans that have reached a final outcome, 92 were paid in full and 24 charged off, a charge off rate of 20.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in New Castle County?
1,586 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $229.1 m. Multifamily was 14.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for New Castle County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to New Castle County come from?
The largest single origin is New Castle County Non-migrants, with 219,455 households. Arriving households report an average income of $78,585 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for New Castle County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for New Castle County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.
New Castle County
Cities and places in New Castle.
28 Census places lie wholly or partly in New Castle County. 28 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA approvals | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | city | 71,727 | 336 | Wholly in this county |
| Newark | city | 30,330 | 150 | Wholly in this county |
| Middletown | town | 24,661 | 75 | Wholly in this county |
| Bear | CDP | 22,370 | 44 | Wholly in this county |
| Glasgow | CDP | 15,546 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brookside | CDP | 15,115 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Hockessin | CDP | 13,439 | 13 | Wholly in this county |
| Smyrna | town | 13,165 | 24 | 21.2 percent here, 78.8 percent Kent County |
| Pike Creek Valley | CDP | 12,431 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Claymont | CDP | 8,786 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| Wilmington Manor | CDP | 8,214 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| North Star | CDP | 7,834 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Pike Creek | CDP | 7,129 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Edgemoor | CDP | 6,349 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Elsmere | town | 6,203 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| New Castle | city | 5,579 | 69 | Wholly in this county |
| Clayton | town | 4,222 | 15 | 10.4 percent here, 89.6 percent Kent County |
| Greenville | CDP | 3,713 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Townsend | town | 2,832 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Delaware City | city | 1,950 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| St. Georges | CDP | 1,530 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bellefonte | town | 1,388 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Newport | town | 900 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Arden | village | 627 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Port Penn | CDP | 592 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Odessa | town | 409 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Ardentown | village | 233 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ardencroft | village | 213 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 22 SBA approvals in New Castle County are recorded against borrower cities that match no Census place, the largest being Christiana, Delaware City, Historic New Castle. Those are postal cities and unincorporated areas rather than incorporated places, so no page claims them, and their lending is counted in this county's totals above rather than under any city.