Black Health Profile
Black health in Delaware
229,541
Black residents (ACS)
22.70%
Of state population
Delaware has about 230,000 Black residents (23% of the state). ChristianaCare operates the state's level-III neonatal intensive care unit and its Community Health Outreach Center provides free and sliding-scale prenatal care in Wilmington.
The largest Black health disparity tracked on these pages varies by metric. Use the ten topic pages below to see each one cited against the state's primary-source dataset.
On the positive side, every US state now has CDC-funded maternal mortality review committees, and most have at least one HRSA-designated federally qualified health center serving low-income Black residents. The ten facet pages below point to state-specific programs and providers.
Key takeaways
- Black residents: 229,541 (22.7% of the state).
- Medicaid expansion adopted.
- Medicaid does not cover doula services.
- Certified nurse-midwife scope-of-practice recognized by Medicaid.
- 12-month postpartum Medicaid extension active.
Health outcomes & coverage
Ten race-stratified indicators drawn from CDC, Census, KFF, and SAMHSA primary sources. Each page links the underlying dataset, compares to the national average, and frames the state-specific drivers and policy levers.
maternal mortality
Black women in Delaware die from pregnancy-related causes at 38.4 per 100,000 live births — 2.0× the US national rate of 19.
Read the maternal mortality breakdown
infant mortality
Black infants in Delaware die before age one at 12 per 1,000 live births — compared to the US all-race rate of 5.4.
Read the infant mortality breakdown
cardiovascular mortality
Age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality among Black residents of Delaware: 346.1 deaths per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 I00-I99).
Read the cardiovascular mortality breakdown
diabetes prevalence
15.2% of Black adults in Delaware have been diagnosed with diabetes — compared to the US all-race rate of 11.6%.
Read the diabetes prevalence breakdown
breast cancer mortality
Age-adjusted breast cancer mortality among Black women in Delaware: 28.1 per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 C50).
Read the breast cancer mortality breakdown
prostate cancer mortality
Age-adjusted prostate cancer mortality among Black men in Delaware: 41.3 per 100,000 (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 C61).
Read the prostate cancer mortality breakdown
life expectancy
Life expectancy at birth for Black residents of Delaware: 73.8 years (US all-race: 77.5).
Read the life expectancy breakdown
uninsured rate
8.2% of Black residents of Delaware have no health insurance coverage — vs. a US all-race uninsured rate of 8%.
Read the uninsured rate breakdown
Medicaid coverage
About 33% of Black residents of Delaware receive Medicaid coverage. Delaware is a Medicaid expansion state.
Read the Medicaid coverage breakdown
mental health access
59.7% of Black adults in Delaware who experienced a past-year mental health need reported not receiving the treatment they needed (SAMHSA N…
Read the mental health access breakdown
Policy context in Delaware
Delaware has adopted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid does not currently cover doula services. Postpartum Medicaid coverage extends for 12 months after delivery, the federal recommended standard.
Find Black health providers & resources in Delaware
Data sources & refresh cadence
- US Census ACS 5-year 2019–2023, Table B02001 (race) & S1903 (income).
- CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death (D69) & Underlying Cause of Death (D76), 2018–2022 release.
- KFF Medicaid expansion and state coverage trackers, Q1 2026.
- SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2022 state annual.
- HRSA NHSC workforce data, 2024.
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