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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Delaware

62.1% coverage

Delaware's WIC program reaches 62.1% of eligible residents — an estimated 18,000 participants out of 29,000 who qualify. That leaves 11,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

29K

WIC eligibles

18K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

11K

Unserved eligibles

3

Counties

Delaware by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Delaware inherits the state's 62.1% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Delaware at a glance

Coverage rate

62.1%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

37.9%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

29K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

18K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

11K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

23K

34.8% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 3 counties in Delaware.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 New Castle 14K
  2. 2 Sussex 8K
  3. 3 Kent 6K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 New Castle 5K
  2. 2 Sussex 3K
  3. 3 Kent 2K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Sussex 48.0%
  2. 2 Kent 35.8%
  3. 3 New Castle 29.7%

Every county in Delaware

All 3 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Kent 6,222 3,862 2,360 4,858 35.8%
New Castle 14,392 8,933 5,459 11,237 29.7%
Sussex 8,386 5,205 3,181 6,548 48.0%

Apply for WIC in Delaware

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Delaware's WIC agency.

Delaware WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Delaware.

Families guide

Delaware SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Delaware SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Delaware's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Delaware food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology