Delaware County Demographics

A map of Delaware County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	16,514	16,706	94.1%	95.5%
Multiracial	650	323	3.7%	1.8%
Hispanic	301	244	1.7%	1.4%
Native American/Other	80	54	0.5%	0.3%
Black	13	122	0.1%	0.7%
Asian	0	39	0.0%	0.2%

Delaware County, Iowa has an estimated population of 17,558, a less than 1% change from the 17,488 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 94.1% White, 3.7% Multiracial, 1.7% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American/Other, 0.1% Black, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Delaware County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Delaware has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Iowa overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Delaware County, that probability was 8.7% in 2020 and 11.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Delaware County is ranked the 40th most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Delaware County was ranked the 40th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Delaware County's White Population

16,514 residents of Delaware County, or 94.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Delaware County is considerably higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Delaware County ranks 6th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Delaware County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.1%. White residents' share of Delaware County's population has decreased from 95.5% to 94.1%.

Delaware County is more White than neighboring Jones County (91.5% White), Linn County (82.4% White), and Dubuque County (88.3% White). Delaware County is less White than neighboring Clayton County (95% White), and Buchanan County (95% White).

Delaware County's Black Population

13 residents of Delaware County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Delaware County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Delaware County ranks 52nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Delaware County's Black population has declined by an estimated 89.3%. Black residents' share of Delaware County's population has decreased from 0.7% to 0.1%.

Delaware County is less Black than neighboring Clayton County (0.6% Black), Jones County (2.5% Black), Linn County (5.9% Black), Buchanan County (0.6% Black), and Dubuque County (2.9% Black).

Delaware County's Asian Population

0 residents of Delaware County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Delaware County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Delaware County ranks 88th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Delaware County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Delaware County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Delaware County is less Asian than neighboring Clayton County (0.3% Asian), Jones County (0.6% Asian), Linn County (2.4% Asian), Buchanan County (0.2% Asian), and Dubuque County (1.3% Asian).

Delaware County's Hispanic Population

301 residents of Delaware County, or 1.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Delaware County is lower than in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Delaware County ranks 94th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Delaware County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 23.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Delaware County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.7%.

Delaware County is less Hispanic than neighboring Clayton County (2.3% Hispanic), Jones County (2.6% Hispanic), Linn County (4.1% Hispanic), Buchanan County (1.9% Hispanic), and Dubuque County (3.3% Hispanic).

Delaware County's Native American/Other Population

80 residents of Delaware County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Delaware County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Delaware County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Delaware County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 48.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Delaware County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Delaware County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Clayton County (0.1% Native American/Other), Jones County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Buchanan County (0.1% Native American/Other). Delaware County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Dubuque County (1% Native American/Other).

Delaware County's Multiracial Population

650 residents of Delaware County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Delaware County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Delaware County ranks 91st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Delaware County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 101.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Delaware County's population has increased from 1.8% to 3.7%.

Delaware County is more Multiracial than neighboring Clayton County (1.7% Multiracial), Jones County (2.7% Multiracial), Buchanan County (2.2% Multiracial), and Dubuque County (3.3% Multiracial). Delaware County is less Multiracial than neighboring Linn County (4.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.