DELAWARE - Delaware is a unique state for many reasons, one of which is that it has the fewest counties of any state in the United States—just three. They are New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County.
DELAWARE - Delaware is a unique state for many reasons, one of which is that it has the fewest counties of any state in the United States—just three. They are New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County.While the state itself is small, its counties are distinct in both size and character. When it comes to the "largest," there are two ways to measure it: by land area and by population.
Largest by Area: Sussex County
Sussex County is the clear winner in terms of sheer size.
- It covers approximately 936 square miles.
- It makes up the entire southern portion of the state, roughly half of Delaware's total landmass.
- It's known for its sprawling farmland and popular Atlantic beach resorts, such as Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach, and Fenwick Island.
Largest by Population: New Castle County
While Sussex County is the largest in size, it's not the largest in population. That title belongs to New Castle County.
- Despite being the smallest county in area (only 429 square miles), New Castle County is the most populous and densely populated.
- It's home to Wilmington, the state's largest city, and the majority of Delaware's residents.
Kent County, home to the state capital of Dover, sits geographically in the middle and is also in the middle of the other two in terms of both size and population.
So, while Sussex County is the largest county in Delaware by land, New Castle County is the state's dominant population center.
