Sussex County Demographics

A map of Sussex County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	184,909	171,741	72.3%	72.3%
Hispanic	29,438	26,793	11.5%	11.3%
Black	25,014	24,835	9.8%	10.5%
Multiracial	11,192	9,143	4.4%	3.9%
Asian	3,242	3,014	1.3%	1.3%
Native American/Other	1,831	1,852	0.7%	0.8%

Sussex County, Delaware has an estimated population of 255,626, an increase from the 237,378 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 72.3% White, 11.5% Hispanic, 9.8% Black, 4.4% Multiracial, 1.3% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Sussex County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Sussex is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Delaware overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Sussex County, that probability was 45.1% in 2020 and 45.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Sussex County is ranked the 2nd most populous county in Delaware, out of 3 counties. Sussex County was ranked the 2nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Sussex County's White Population

184,909 residents of Sussex County, or 72.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Sussex County is considerably higher than in Delaware overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Sussex County ranks 1st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 3 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sussex County's White population has grown by an estimated 7.7%. White residents' share of Sussex County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 72.3%.

Sussex County is more White than neighboring Wicomico County (57.9% White), and Kent County (56.5% White). Sussex County is less White than neighboring Worcester County (77.8% White), Caroline County (72.5% White), and Cape May County (83.9% White).

Sussex County's Black Population

25,014 residents of Sussex County, or 9.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Sussex County is considerably lower than in Delaware overall, where 21.4% of the population is Black. Sussex County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 3 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sussex County's Black population has remained roughly the same. Black residents' share of Sussex County's population has decreased from 10.5% to 9.8%.

Sussex County is more Black than neighboring Cape May County (3.4% Black). Sussex County is less Black than neighboring Wicomico County (26.5% Black), Kent County (26.4% Black), Worcester County (12% Black), and Caroline County (12.6% Black).

Sussex County's Asian Population

3,242 residents of Sussex County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Sussex County is slightly lower than in Delaware overall, where 4.3% of the population is Asian. Sussex County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 3 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sussex County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 7.6%. Asian residents' share of Sussex County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

Sussex County is more Asian than neighboring Caroline County (0.7% Asian), and Cape May County (0.7% Asian). Sussex County is less Asian than neighboring Wicomico County (2.4% Asian), Kent County (2.5% Asian), and Worcester County (1.4% Asian).

Sussex County's Hispanic Population

29,438 residents of Sussex County, or 11.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Sussex County is comparable to the share in Delaware overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Sussex County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 3 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sussex County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Sussex County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 11.5%.

Sussex County is more Hispanic than neighboring Wicomico County (7.1% Hispanic), Kent County (8.1% Hispanic), Worcester County (4% Hispanic), Caroline County (9.3% Hispanic), and Cape May County (8.3% Hispanic).

Sussex County's Native American/Other Population

1,831 residents of Sussex County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Sussex County is comparable to the share in Delaware overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Sussex County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 3 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sussex County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 1.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Sussex County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Sussex County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Wicomico County (0.6% Native American/Other), Caroline County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Cape May County (0.4% Native American/Other). Sussex County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Kent County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Worcester County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Sussex County's Multiracial Population

11,192 residents of Sussex County, or 4.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Sussex County is comparable to the share in Delaware overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Sussex County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 3 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sussex County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 22.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Sussex County's population has increased from 3.9% to 4.4%.

Sussex County is more Multiracial than neighboring Worcester County (4% Multiracial), and Cape May County (3.3% Multiracial). Sussex County is less Multiracial than neighboring Wicomico County (5.4% Multiracial), and Kent County (5.6% 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.