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Bars in Delaware

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 3 Delaware counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Well below the U.S. rate — 43% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Delaware

Bars

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.4

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

43%

vs. U.S.

Residents

1,021,605

in covered counties

Workers

425,758

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 3 Delaware counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Delaware

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Wilmington	New Castle County	43–93	573,431	285,874	0.6	60–101%	Range spans bands
Lewes	Sussex County	10–52	267,041	85,779	0.3	32–160%	Range spans bands
Dover	Kent County	0–36	181,133	54,105	0.0	0–162%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

Wilmington

60%

Lewes

32%

Dover

Most competitors per capita

Dover

Lewes

32%

Wilmington

60%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.