Delaware

Delaware is the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution (December 7, 1787) and the second smallest by area, yet it plays an outsized role in the American economy: more than 1.9 million business entities are incorporated here, including roughly two thirds of Fortune 500 companies, thanks to the Court of Chancery and its business-friendly corporate law. Its 1.05 million residents are concentrated in New Castle County around Wilmington, while Kent and Sussex counties combine farming, poultry production and the fast-growing beach economy of Rehoboth and Lewes. Delaware has no state sales tax, one of the lowest effective property tax rates in the country and a large finance, chemical and pharmaceutical base rooted in the DuPont legacy.

Capital: DoverLargest city: WilmingtonNickname: The First StateStatehood: 1787
1.05 M
Population
45th in the U.S.
$82,855
Median household income
$92 B
GDP
42nd in the U.S.
6,446 km²
Area
49th in the U.S.

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