Delaware County, Pennsylvania


Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the fifth-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the third-smallest in area. The county was created on September 26, 1789, from part of Chester County and named for the Delaware River. The county is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, or Delaware Valley, region of the commonwealth.
Delaware County borders Philadelphia, the cities by population|nation's sixth-most populous city], to its northeast. It also is adjacent to the city-county of Philadelphia County and is included in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD metropolitan statistical area. Its county seat is Media, which is located near the center of the county.

History

Delaware County lies in the river and bay drainage area named "Delaware" in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, Governor of the nearby English colony of Virginia. The land was explored by Henry Hudson in 1609, and over the next several decades, was settled and variously claimed by the Swedes, the Dutch, and the English. Its original human inhabitants were the Lenape tribe of American Indians.
Once the Dutch were defeated and the extent of New York was determined, King Charles II of England made his grant to William Penn to found the colony which came to be named Pennsylvania. Penn divided his colony into three counties: Bucks, Philadelphia, and Chester. The riverfront land south of Philadelphia, being the most accessible, was quickly granted and settled. In 1789, the southeastern portion of Chester County was divided from the rest and named Delaware County for the Delaware River.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the third-smallest county in Pennsylvania by area.
Delaware County is roughly diamond- or kite-shaped, with the four sides formed by the Chester County boundary to the northwest, the boundary with the state of Delaware, a portion of the "Twelve-Mile Circle") to the southwest, the Delaware River, forming the border with the state of New Jersey) to the southeast, and the city of Philadelphia and Montgomery County to the east and northeast.
The lowest point in the state of Pennsylvania is located on the Delaware River in Marcus Hook in Delaware County, where it flows out of Pennsylvania and into Delaware. The highest point in Delaware County is 500 feet at two points southeast of Wyola in Newtown Township.
Waterways in Delaware County generally flow in a southward direction and ultimately drain into the Delaware River. The waterways are, from west to east: the Brandywine River, Naaman's Creek, Stoney Creek, Chester Creek, Ridley Creek, Crum Creek, Muckinipates Creek, Darby Creek and Cobbs Creek. Crum Creek was dammed in 1931 near Pennsylvania Route 252 to fill Springton Lake, an approximately drinking water reservoir maintained by Aqua America, the county's largest lake.
The Trainer Refinery and the Port of Chester are located along the shores of the Delaware River.
With its location in the southeastern part of the state, Delaware County is the only county to border both Delaware and New Jersey.

Adjacent counties

Delaware County is one of four counties in the United States to border a state with which it shares the same name.

National protected areas

of the county are occupied by the Ridley Creek State Park.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 576,830. The median age was 39.4 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 63.7% White, 22.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 4.6% of the population.
99.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 215,498 households in the county, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.4% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 229,208 housing units, of which 6.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.8% were owner-occupied and 32.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 438,416397,424363,24979.58%71.09%62.97%
Black or African American alone 79,070108,231127,05514.35%19.36%22.02%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 5296746760.09%0.12%0.11%
Asian alone 18,02226,14436,3173.27%4.67%6.29%
Pacific Islander alone 941141330.01%0.02%0.02%
Other race alone 5517252,5960.10%0.12%0.45%
Mixed race or Multiracial 5,8149,13020,0321.05%1.63%3.47%
Hispanic or Latino 8,36816,53726,7721.51%2.95%4.64%
Total550,864558,979576,830100.00%100.00%100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 550,864 people, 206,320 households, and 139,472 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 216,978 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 80.3% White, 14.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.3% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of Irish, 17.5% Italian, 10.1% German and 6.7% English ancestry.
There were 206,320 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,092, and the median income for a family was $61,590. Males had a median income of $44,155 versus $31,831 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,040. About 5.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs], townships in Pennsylvania|townships], and exactly one town. There are 49 municipalities in Delaware County:

City

s are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Delaware County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation Total AreaPopulation DensityIncorporationSettlement
1[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania|Upper Darby]Township85,6817.83 sq mi17361653
2HaverfordTownship50,4319.95 sq mi16821682
3[Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Radnor]Township33,22813.79 sq mi16841682
4ChesterCity32,6056.00 sq mi1701 1866 1644
5RidleyTownship31,0535.31 sq mi16871647
6Drexel HillCDP29,1813.20 sq mi--
7SpringfieldTownship25,0706.34 sq mi16861682
8MarpleTownship24,21410.52 sq mi16841684
9ConcordTownship18,29513.64 sq mi16831660
10Upper ChichesterTownship16,8986.70 sq mi17591881
11AstonTownship16,7915.84 sq mi16881681
12MiddletownTownship16,37313.47 sq mi16861681
13NewtownTownship15,00210.09 sq mi16841681
14Nether ProvidenceTownship14,5254.72 sq mi16871687
15Ardmore CDP13,5661.97 sq mi--
16YeadonBorough12,0541.59 sq mi18931682
17BroomallCDP11,7183.17 sq mi--
18LansdowneBorough11,1071.18 sq mi18931732
19Upper ProvidenceTownship10,8525.81 sq mi1687
20DarbyBorough10,7150.84 sq mi1653
21WoodlynCDP9,6851.7 sq mi--
22BethelTownship9,5745.41 sq mi16831682
23DarbyTownship9,2191.42 sq mi16831682
24CollingdaleBorough8,9080.87 sq mi1891
25BrookhavenBorough8,3001.71 sq mi19451684
26FolsomCDP8,2871.25 sq mi--
27Villanova CDP8,2132.09 sq mi--
28Village Green-Green RidgeCDP8,0001.9 sq mi--
29GlenoldenBorough7,2230.97 sq mi1894
30Ridley ParkBorough7,1861.08 sq mi1897
31WayneCDP7,1602.12 sq mi--
32ThornburyTownship6,9049.27 sq mi1687
33Clifton HeightsBorough6,8630.63 sq mi1885
34FolcroftBorough6,7921.42 sq mi1922
35SwarthmoreBorough6,5431.40 sq mi18931724
36Prospect ParkBorough6,4270.74 sq mi18941694
37Sharon HillBorough6,0140.77 sq mi1890
38NorwoodBorough5,9430.82 sq mi1893
39† MediaBorough5,9010.77 sq mi18501681
40Bryn Mawr CDP5,8790.96 sq mi--
41BoothwynCDP4,9681.25 sq mi--
42EdgmontTownship4,2839.73 sq mi16871687
43AldanBorough4,2440.60 sq mi1893
44ChesterTownship4,0801.43 sq mi1683
45TinicumTownship3,9838.78 sq mi17801643
46Chadds FordTownship3,9728.72 sq mi1684
47LinwoodCDP3,9490.65 sq mi--
48St. DavidsCDP3,6041.5 sq mi--
49Rosemont CDP3,5070.82 sq mi--
50Lower ChichesterTownship3,4251.07 sq mi168216678
51UplandBorough3,0680.65 sq mi18691683
52Chester HeightsBorough2,8972.22 sq mi1945
53MortonBorough2,7780.36 sq mi1898
54LimaCDP2,7451.47 sq mi--
55East LansdowneBorough2,7140.21 sq mi1911
56ColwynBorough2,4740.26 sq mi1892
57EddystoneBorough2,4591.52 sq mi18881641
58Marcus HookBorough2,4541.62 sq mi1892
59ParksideBorough2,3210.21 sq mi1945
60TrainerBorough1,9761.38 sq mi1919
61Haverford College CDP1,4970.31 sq mi--
62Chadds Ford CDP1,4762.28 sq mi--
63MillbourneBorough1,2120.07 sq mi19091682
64Rose ValleyBorough1,0170.73 sq mi19231682
65Dilworthtown CDP1,1500.64 sq mi--
66RutledgeBorough7820.14 sq mi18871885
67Cheyney University CDP5650.30 sq mi--

Politics and government

The county has operated under a home-rule charter with five at-large council-members since 1972.
Until the 1990s, Delaware County was regarded as a classic suburban Republican county. The Delaware County Republican political machine was controlled by William McClure and his son John J. McClure from 1875 to 1965. Delaware County voted for the Republican candidate all but once from 1860 through 1988, with the exception being Lyndon Johnson's national landslide of 1964 [United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|1964].
In 1992, however, the county swung from a 21-point win for George H. W. Bush to a narrow one-point win for Bill Clinton, who became only the second Democrat to win the county in the 20th century. Clinton won it just under 10 points in 1996, coming up just short of a majority. The county has gone Democratic in every Presidential election since then by 10 points or more by progressively-increasing margins. In the 2004 election Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry won the county by 14 points. Barack Obama won it by large 21-point margins in each of his bids for president. Hillary Clinton carried it by an equally substantial 22 points in 2016. Joe Biden carried it in 2020 with 62 percent of the vote, his second-strongest performance in Pennsylvania. Donald Trump turned in the worst showing for a Republican in the county in over 160 years.
Driving the county's Democratic shift have been longstanding trends in voter registration advantage and demographics. In 1998, Republicans held a voter registration advantage of about 125,000, but by 2008 that advantage had shrunk to under 20,000 voters. As of the November 2021 election, Democrats enjoyed a voter registration advantage of 50,000. Propelling and compounding the voter registration shift has been a change in demographics in the county. Since the 2000 Census, the White population of the county has decreased from 80.3% to 68.5% as of the 2020 Census, while, the Black population has risen from 14.5% to 22.7%, driven by the gentrification of Philadelphia and University City neighborhood and rapid demographic shift in Upper Darby. Further increasing the shift has been the change in education level demographics in the county, as voters have become more college educated and white collar over the past few decades.
While the longstanding Republican registration edge has been erased, Republicans still remain competitive with Democrats at the state and local level. Most Republicans from the county tend to be fiscally conservative and socially moderate, as is the case with Republicans from most suburban Philadelphia counties. In the 2004 US Senate election, Republican Arlen Specter defeated Joe Hoeffel but Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. defeated Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election. All three Democratic state row office candidates carried it in 2008. In 2016, Delaware County elected all Democrats in national office elections except Republican Patrick Meehan.
After the election of Donald Trump in 2016, the county rapidly shifted blue as a result of increased Democratic turnout and less enthusiasm from often less conservative suburban Republicans. In the 2019 elections for the Delaware County Council, Democrats swept the board and elected Monica Taylor, Elaine P. Schaefer, and Christine Reuther, gaining control of the county Council for the first time since the Civil War. This was the first time in history that the county had an all-Democratic Council.
As of 2020, all of Delaware County is located in the state's 5th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon. Prior to 2019, most of Delaware County had been in the 7th congressional district. The district had been held for 20 years by Republican Curt Weldon until he was ousted by Joe Sestak, a retired admiral, in the 2006 U.S. House of Representatives election. Also in the 2006 election, Democrat Bryan Lentz unseated Republican incumbent State Representative Tom Gannon in the 161st House district. In 2010 Sestak ran for the senate seat vacated by Arlen Specter and was replaced by Republican Pat Meehan, who defeated Lentz, the Democratic candidate. Lentz was replaced in the State House by Joe Hackett, a Republican. Meehan represented the 7th district until his resignation on April 27, 2018. Before it was thrown out by a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in 2018, the 7th Congressional District had been regarded one of the most irregularly drawn districts in the nation.

Voter registration

As of May 19, 2025, there are 407,783 registered voters in Delaware County.
OfficeHolderParty
ChairMonica TaylorDemocratic
Vice-chairRichard WomackDemocratic
Member of CouncilKevin M. MaddenDemocratic
Member of CouncilChristine ReutherDemocratic
Member of CouncilElaine Paul SchaeferDemocratic

County row officers

Row officers, a term unique to Pennsylvania, are a conglomeration of elected officials defined by Article IX, Section 4 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This unit of officers includes the position of controller, District Attorney, treasurer, sheriff, register of wills, recorder of deeds, prothonotaries, clerks of the court, and the coroner. It is thought that this term originated because these positions were arranged in a row on a typical ballot.
OfficeHolderParty
ControllerJoanne Phillips, EsquireDemocratic
District AttorneyJack StollsteimerDemocratic
Register of WillsVincent A. Rongione, EsquireDemocratic
SheriffJerry SandersDemocratic

United States Senate

United States House of Representatives

DistrictRepresentativeParty
5Mary Gay ScanlonDemocratic

State senate

DistrictRepresentativeParty
8Anthony Hardy WilliamsDemocratic
9John I. KaneDemocratic
17Amanda CappellettiDemocratic
26Tim KearneyDemocratic

State House of Representatives

DistrictRepresentativeParty
159Carol KazeemDemocratic
160Craig WilliamsRepublican
161Leanne KruegerDemocratic
162Dave DellosoDemocratic
163Heather BoydDemocratic
164Gina CurryDemocratic
165Jennifer O'MaraDemocratic
166Greg VitaliDemocratic
168Lisa BorowskiDemocratic
185Regina YoungDemocratic
191Joanna McClintonDemocratic

Corrections

The George W. Hill Correctional Facility is located in Thornbury Township. The jail houses pre-trial inmates and convicted persons who are serving sentences of no longer than two years less one day. It is operated by Delaware County.

Education

Public school districts

School districts include:
Note that Delaware County Technical High School takes students from all of the county.

Charter schools

In 1963 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia had 48 Catholic K-8/elementary schools in Delaware County with a total of 39,695 students, which was the highest ever enrollment. From 1971 to 2012, 20 of these schools closed, with ten of them closing from 2003 to 2012. By 2012 there were 28 Catholic K-8/elementary schools in Delaware County with a total of 8,291 students. One notable private school is Friends School Haverford.

Colleges and universities

Transportation

Delaware County is bisected north to south by Blue Route Interstate 476, which connects I-76 just north of the extreme northern corner of the county to I-95, which parallels the Delaware River along the southeastern edge of the county.
Delaware County is home to SEPTA's 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby, and is served by the Norristown High Speed Line, two Red Arrow trolley lines, Media–Sharon Hill Line, four Regional Rail Lines, including the Airport Line, and a host of bus routes.
The western portion of [Philadelphia International Airport is located in Delaware County, and the county hosts some airport-related commerce such as Philadelphia's UPS terminal and airport hotels.

Major roads and highways

  • Recreation

Parks

There is one Pennsylvania state park in Delaware County:
County parks include:
is a harness racing track and casino located on the Chester, Pennsylvania waterfront. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment.

Sports

is home to the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer; the team plays at Subaru Park, a venue located at the base of the Commodore Barry Bridge.
Delaware County is the traditional home of women's professional soccer in the Philadelphia area. The former Philadelphia Charge of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association played at Villanova Stadium, which is located on the campus of Villanova University. The Philadelphia Independence of Women's Professional Soccer succeeded the Charge and played at Widener University's Leslie Quick Stadium in 2011.
Delaware County is the home of one of oldest baseball leagues in the country, the Delco League, which is a semi-professional league that has been in existence since 1908.
Every summer, Delaware County is home to the Delco Pro-Am, a basketball league consisting of current, future, and former NBA players as well as local standout players.
Delaware County is also the former home of a rugby league team called the Aston Bulls, a member of the American National Rugby League.
Darby was home to the Hilldale Club, the 1925 Colored World Series champions.

Media

The county is serviced by several newspapers, including Delaware County Daily Times, News of Delaware County, The Spirit, and The Suburban and Wayne Times.
The Philadelphia Inquirer also has a significant presence in Delaware County. Delaware County Magazine is the news magazine with the largest circulation in Delaware County, reaching over 186,000 homes.

Climate

Delaware County has two physical geographic regions: the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Most of the county has a humid subtropical climate while some higher northern areas have a hot-summer humid continental climate. The hardiness zone is mostly 7b except for 7a in areas closer to Chester County and 8a in Ridley Township near the Delaware River.