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Blades, DE
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
1,071
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
36.6
years ∙ half population younger than 36.6, half older
Diversity Index
59.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
7.9%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Blades is a town within Sussex County, Delaware, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC38.635226° N, 75.602516° W
DMS38° 38′ 06.81″ N, 75° 36′ 09.06″ W
Population Density & area
1,937/sq mi
(747.4/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
46.8%
male
Male
46.8%
Female
53.2%
males per 100 females
Blades
87.9
Sussex County
94.2
Delaware
93.9
Nativity
7.9%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Blades
7.9%
Sussex County
8.4%
Delaware
10.7%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
36.6
years ∙ half population younger than 36.6, half older
Dependency ratio
64.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Blades
64.8
Sussex County
93.5
Delaware
70.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 22% | 18.1% | 20.7% |
| Working age (18-64) | 60.7% | 51.7% | 58.7% |
| Senior (65+) | 17.3% | 30.2% | 20.6% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 64.8 | 93.5 | 70.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 36.3 | 35 | 35.3 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 28.5 | 58.5 | 35.1 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
59.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Blades
59.1%
Sussex County
45.2%
Delaware
60.1%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Blades population
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 16% | 11.5% | 11% |
| Mexican | 1.7% | 3.2% | 3.6% |
| Puerto Rican | 8.4% | 1.6% | 3.1% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 5.9% | 6.6% | 4.1% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 84% | 88.5% | 89% |
| One race | 74.6% | 84.1% | 84.5% |
| White | 59.7% | 72.3% | 58.1% |
| Black or African American | 13.4% | 9.8% | 21.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Asian | 0% | 1.3% | 4.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 9.4% | 4.4% | 4.5% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
73.7%
family
Family
73.7%
Non family
26.3%
% family households
Blades
73.7%
Sussex County
67.7%
Delaware
65.1%
Average household size
2.88
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Blades population
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 372 | 106,441 | 402,038 |
| Average houshold size | 2.88 | 2.38 | 2.48 |
| Family households | 274 | 72,029 | 261,870 |
| Average family size | 3.23 | 2.84 | 3.05 |
| Married couple family | 153 | 56,504 | 189,962 |
| Other families | 121 | 15,525 | 71,908 |
| Male householder | 35 | 4,008 | 18,730 |
| Female householder | 86 | 11,517 | 53,178 |
| Non-family households | 98 | 34,412 | 140,168 |
| One-person households | 88 | 28,523 | 114,643 |
| Male householder | 26 | 10,513 | 46,874 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 23 | 4,796 | 16,070 |
| Female householder | 62 | 18,010 | 67,769 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 50 | 11,909 | 36,181 |
| Other living arrangements | 10 | 5,889 | 25,525 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
415
housing units
Blades
415
Sussex County
151,799
Delaware
464,203
Occupancy status
89.6%
occupied
Occupied
89.6%
Vacant
10.4%
vacancy rate
Blades
10.4%
Sussex County
29.9%
Delaware
13.4%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
89.2%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1979
Half of houses were built before 1979, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 5.6 | 6.1 | 6.2 |
| 1–3 rooms | 4.8% | 6.1% | 9.3% |
| 4–6 rooms | 69.6% | 52% | 46.7% |
| 7+ rooms | 25.6% | 41.8% | 44% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.3% |
| 1 bedroom | 4.3% | 3% | 6.8% |
| 2 bedrooms | 27.7% | 19.5% | 20% |
| 3 bedrooms | 59.5% | 51.1% | 44.4% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 7.7% | 25.7% | 27.4% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1979 | 2000 | 1986 |
| Total housing units | 415 | 151,799 | 464,203 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
70.4%
owners
Renter-occupied
29.6%
Owner-occupied
70.4%
homeownership rate
Blades
70.4%
Sussex County
81.6%
Delaware
73%
Average household size
3.12
Owner-occupied
2.31
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Blades
3.12
Sussex County
2.35
Delaware
2.55
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 372 | 106,441 | 402,038 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 22.1% | 23.4% | 22% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 34.9% | 43.6% | 41% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 16.1% | 16.7% | 17.8% |
| 1999 or earlier | 26.8% | 16.3% | 19.2% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 96.2% | 97.5% | 97.9% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 3.8% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 8.6% | 3.3% | 6.2% |
| 1 vehicle | 34.9% | 32.5% | 33.7% |
| 2 vehicles | 37.9% | 41.2% | 38.7% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 18.5% | 23% | 21.4% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 22% | 37.4% | 51.1% |
| Electricity | 69.4% | 52.7% | 37.9% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 6.7% | 6.9% | 8.8% |
| All other fuels | 0% | 1.8% | 1.3% |
| No fuel used | 1.9% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| No telephone service available | 1.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$227,900
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
32.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $227,900 | $382,600 | $352,000 |
| Under $100,000 | 13% | 8.2% | 7.3% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 20.6% | 9.5% | 9.4% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 45.4% | 17% | 21.5% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 17.6% | 34.8% | 39.9% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 1.9% | 25% | 19.2% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 1.5% | 5.5% | 2.8% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 63.7% | 56.2% | 63.8% |
| Without a mortgage | 36.3% | 43.8% | 36.2% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,132 | $1,736 | $1,816 |
| Without a mortgage | $465 | $535 | $562 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,012 | $1,238 | $1,401 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
9%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Blades
9%
Sussex County
33%
Delaware
35.8%
Adults without a high school diploma
9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Blades
9%
Sussex County
9.8%
Delaware
8.3%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
146
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
26%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 146 | 44,099 | 232,283 |
| Nursery / preschool | 2.7% | 5.4% | 5.7% |
| K–12 | 63.7% | 74% | 65.8% |
| Kindergarten | 5.5% | 6% | 4.7% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 18.5% | 21% | 18.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 28.1% | 23.2% | 20.2% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 11.6% | 23.8% | 21.9% |
| College or graduate school | 33.6% | 20.6% | 28.6% |
| College, undergraduate | 22.6% | 15.4% | 22.3% |
| Graduate, professional school | 11% | 5.3% | 6.3% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 26% | 28.5% | 43.1% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 82.9% | 86.2% | 81.6% |
| Private school | 17.1% | 13.8% | 18.4% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
735
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 735 | 193,708 | 723,044 |
| Less than 9th grade | 4.1% | 3.6% | 3% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 4.9% | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| High school diploma or GED | 46.8% | 29.8% | 28.8% |
| Some college, no degree | 25% | 18.2% | 18.8% |
| Associate's degree | 10.2% | 9.2% | 8.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 9% | 33% | 35.8% |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.6% | 18.9% | 20.4% |
| Graduate or professional | 3.4% | 14.1% | 15.3% |
| High School or higher | 91% | 90.2% | 91.7% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$34,779
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
10.6%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Blades | Sussex County | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $34,779 | $46,674 | $53,037 |
| Less than high school graduate | $63,333 | $35,179 | $35,002 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $34,185 | $37,033 | $40,675 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $31,250 | $45,205 | $47,864 |
| Bachelor's degree | $50,972 | $64,494 | $68,176 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $47,500 | $78,796 | $87,287 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 39.4% | 19.6% | 20.8% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 8.4% | 12.9% | 11.6% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 2.7% | 7.4% | 8.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.6% | 3.9% | 4% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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