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Milton, DE

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

3,567
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

52.6
years ∙ half population younger than 52.6, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
39.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

6.4%
foreign-born population
93.6%Native
6.4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Milton is a town within Sussex County, Delaware, United States.
Location
Town in Sussex County, DE, US
Co-ordinates
DEC38.775145° N, 75.309908° W
DMS38° 46′ 30.52″ N, 75° 18′ 35.67″ W

Population Density & area

1,918/sq mi (741.6/km²)
Total Area
1.96 sq mi (5.08 km²)
Land Area
1.86 sq mi (4.81 km²) · 94.7%
Water Area
0.1 sq mi (0.27 km²) · 5.3%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

45.9% male
Male 45.9%
Female 54.1%
males per 100 females
Milton 84.7
Sussex County 94.2
Delaware 93.9

Nativity

6.4%
foreign-born population
93.6%Native
6.4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Milton 6.4%
Sussex County 8.4%
Delaware 10.7%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

52.6
years ∙ half population younger than 52.6, half older
Milton
52.6
Sussex County
51.9
Delaware
41.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
128.4
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Milton 128.4
Sussex County 93.5
Delaware 70.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 15.7% 18.1% 20.7%
Working age (18-64) 43.8% 51.7% 58.7%
Senior (65+) 40.5% 30.2% 20.6%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 128.4 93.5 70.4
Child dependency ratio 35.8 35 35.3
Old-age dependency ratio 92.6 58.5 35.1
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
76.4%
Black
13.1%
Asian
0.4%
Hispanic
7.2%
Other
2.9%
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

Low High
39.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Milton 39.3%
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 Milton population
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Hispanic or Latino 7.2% 11.5% 11%
Mexican 0% 3.2% 3.6%
Puerto Rican 3.7% 1.6% 3.1%
Cuban 0% 0.2% 0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino 3.5% 6.6% 4.1%
Not Hispanic or Latino 92.8% 88.5% 89%
One race 90.4% 84.1% 84.5%
White 76.4% 72.3% 58.1%
Black or African American 13.1% 9.8% 21.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.2% 0.1%
Asian 0.4% 1.3% 4.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0.5% 0.5% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.4% 4.4% 4.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.3% family
Family 62.3%
Non family 37.7%
% family households
Milton 62.3%
Sussex County 67.7%
Delaware 65.1%

Average household size

2.2
persons per household
Milton
2.2
Sussex County
2.38
Delaware
2.48

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Milton population
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Total households 1,617 106,441 402,038
Average houshold size 2.2 2.38 2.48
Family households 1,008 72,029 261,870
Average family size 2.78 2.84 3.05
Married couple family 835 56,504 189,962
Other families 173 15,525 71,908
Male householder 14 4,008 18,730
Female householder 159 11,517 53,178
Non-family households 609 34,412 140,168
One-person households 497 28,523 114,643
Male householder 99 10,513 46,874
Senior (65+) living alone 90 4,796 16,070
Female householder 398 18,010 67,769
Senior (65+) living alone 284 11,909 36,181
Other living arrangements 112 5,889 25,525

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,874
housing units
Milton 1,874
Sussex County 151,799
Delaware 464,203

Occupancy status

86.3% occupied
Occupied 86.3%
Vacant 13.7%
vacancy rate
Milton 13.7%
Sussex County 29.9%
Delaware 13.4%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

83.6%
Single family houses
Single family houses
83.6%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
14.8%
Mobile homes
1.7%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

2002
Half of houses were built before 2002, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
14.4%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
10.3%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
19.4%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
55.9%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.4 6.1 6.2
1–3 rooms 10% 6.1% 9.3%
4–6 rooms 41.5% 52% 46.7%
7+ rooms 48.5% 41.8% 44%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.4% 0.7% 1.3%
1 bedroom 7.3% 3% 6.8%
2 bedrooms 19.9% 19.5% 20%
3 bedrooms 57.3% 51.1% 44.4%
4+ bedrooms 14.1% 25.7% 27.4%
At a glance
Median year built 2002 2000 1986
Total housing units 1,874 151,799 464,203
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

80.5% owners
Renter-occupied 19.5%
Owner-occupied 80.5%
homeownership rate
Milton 80.5%
Sussex County 81.6%
Delaware 73%

Average household size

2.25
Owner-occupied
2.02
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Milton 2.25
Sussex County 2.35
Delaware 2.55

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Total occupied units 1,617 106,441 402,038
Year moved in
2020 or later 23.2% 23.4% 22%
2010 to 2019 51.9% 43.6% 41%
2000 to 2009 13.3% 16.7% 17.8%
1999 or earlier 11.6% 16.3% 19.2%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 97.5% 97.9%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 1.8% 1.5%
1.51 or more 0% 0.7% 0.6%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 4% 3.3% 6.2%
1 vehicle 38.3% 32.5% 33.7%
2 vehicles 38.2% 41.2% 38.7%
3 or more vehicles 19.5% 23% 21.4%
House heating fuel used
Gas 35.1% 37.4% 51.1%
Electricity 58% 52.7% 37.9%
Solar 0% 0.6% 0.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 5.2% 6.9% 8.8%
All other fuels 1.1% 1.8% 1.3%
No fuel used 0.7% 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 0% 0.5% 0.7%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$407,000
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Milton
$407,000
Sussex County
$382,600
Delaware
$352,000

Housing Cost Burden

27.7%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
27.7%
Owners without a mortgage
12%
Renters
45.9%
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
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Property value
Median Value $407,000 $382,600 $352,000
Under $100,000 0.6% 8.2% 7.3%
$100,000 - $200,000 3.2% 9.5% 9.4%
$200,000 - $300,000 23.1% 17% 21.5%
$300,000 - $500,000 50% 34.8% 39.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 23.1% 25% 19.2%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 5.5% 2.8%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 60.8% 56.2% 63.8%
Without a mortgage 39.2% 43.8% 36.2%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,480 $1,736 $1,816
Without a mortgage $478 $535 $562
Gross rent
Median rent $1,310 $1,238 $1,401

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

40.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Milton 40.7%
Sussex County 33%
Delaware 35.8%

Adults without a high school diploma

8.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Milton 8.7%
Sussex County 9.8%
Delaware 8.3%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

652
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5.5%
K–12
54.8%
College / Undergraduate
30.8%
Graduate / Professional
8.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

75.6%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Milton
75.6%
Sussex County
28.5%
Delaware
43.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Total enrolled (age 3+) 652 44,099 232,283
Nursery / preschool 5.5% 5.4% 5.7%
K–12 54.8% 74% 65.8%
Kindergarten 1.8% 6% 4.7%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 5.7% 21% 18.9%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 6.3% 23.2% 20.2%
High School: Grades 9–12 41% 23.8% 21.9%
College or graduate school 39.7% 20.6% 28.6%
College, undergraduate 30.8% 15.4% 22.3%
Graduate, professional school 8.9% 5.3% 6.3%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 75.6% 28.5% 43.1%
School type
Public school 77.3% 86.2% 81.6%
Private school 22.7% 13.8% 18.4%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,836
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
1.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
6.8%
HS graduate
21.7%
Some college no degree
18.3%
Associates degree
10.6%
Bachelors degree
23%
Graduate or professional degree
17.7%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
0% · 100%
9th-12th, no diploma
40.9% · 59.1%
HS graduate
54.3% · 45.7%
Some college no degree
31.3% · 68.7%
Associates degree
31.3% · 68.7%
Bachelors degree
43.2% · 56.8%
Graduate or professional degree
49.8% · 50.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Population (25+) 2,836 193,708 723,044
Less than 9th grade 1.9% 3.6% 3%
9th–12th, no diploma 6.8% 6.2% 5.3%
High school diploma or GED 21.7% 29.8% 28.8%
Some college, no degree 18.3% 18.2% 18.8%
Associate's degree 10.6% 9.2% 8.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 40.7% 33% 35.8%
Bachelor's degree 23% 18.9% 20.4%
Graduate or professional 17.7% 14.1% 15.3%
High School or higher 91.3% 90.2% 91.7%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$43,000
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$23,411
HS graduate
$28,860
Some college or associates
$50,962
Bachelors degree
$54,674
Graduate or professional degree
$33,984

Poverty Rate

6.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
15.3%
HS graduate
4.1%
Some college or associates
5.1%
Bachelors degree or higher
6.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Milton Sussex County Delaware
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $43,000 $46,674 $53,037
Less than high school graduate $23,411 $35,179 $35,002
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $28,860 $37,033 $40,675
Some college or associate's degree $50,962 $45,205 $47,864
Bachelor's degree $54,674 $64,494 $68,176
Graduate or professional degree $33,984 $78,796 $87,287
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 15.3% 19.6% 20.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 4.1% 12.9% 11.6%
Some college or associate's degree 5.1% 7.4% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 6.4% 3.9% 4%

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