Delaware vs Rhode Island Size: How Much Bigger Is Delaware?

By SimpleMapLab·Published 15 May 2026·Reviewed against US Census 2020·CC-BY 4.0

Delaware is 1.88× larger than Rhode Island by land area — 1,949 square miles versus 1,034. America's two smallest states, with Rhode Island at #50 and Delaware at #49. But the population reverses it: Rhode Island has 11% more people on roughly half the land, making it the second-most densely populated state in the union.

Rhode Island (red) overlaid inside Delaware (green) at the same area-per-pixel scale. The visible green margin around Rhode Island is the ~915 sq mi of Delaware land Rhode Island doesn't cover — about 0.88 more Rhode Island-areas of room.

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Drag Rhode Island onto Delaware in the interactive tool

See Rhode Island fit inside Delaware with room to spare. The link below opens the comparison tool with both states preloaded.

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At a glance: Delaware vs Rhode Island by the numbers

Metric	Delaware	Rhode Island	Ratio
Land area (sq mi)	1,949	1,034	1.88× DE
Total area incl. water (sq mi)	2,489	1,545	1.61× DE
Population (2020 Census)	989,948	1,097,379	1.11× RI
Population density (/sq mi)	507.9	1061.3	2.09× RI
Coastline (general, mi)	28	40	1.43× RI
Highest point (ft)	448 (Ebright Azimuth)	812 (Jerimoth Hill)	—
Counties	3	5	fewest / 2nd-fewest
State rank by area	49th	50th	—
Statehood	1787 (1st)	1790 (13th)	—
Capital	Dover	Providence	—
Largest city	Wilmington	Providence	—

How much bigger is Delaware than Rhode Island?

Delaware is 1.88 times larger than Rhode Island by land area — a difference of 915 square miles. That gap alone is roughly 88% of Rhode Island's entire land area. Almost two Rhode Islands would fit inside Delaware (1.88 to be exact).

Both states sit at the bottom of the US area rankings. Rhode Island is the smallest state at 1,034 sq mi (#50). Delaware is the second- smallest at 1,949 sq mi (#49). The next smallest state — Connecticut at 4,842 sq mi — is nearly 2.5 times bigger than Delaware. So the gap between Delaware and Rhode Island is geographically meaningful even though both states are tiny compared to the rest of the country.

The population reversal: Rhode Island is smaller AND more populous

Rhode Island packs more people than Delaware into less land. The 2020 Census counted 1,097,379 Rhode Islanders and 989,948 Delawareans. Rhode Island has 107,431 more people than Delaware on 47% less land.

Population density: Rhode Island 1061.3 per square mile (2nd-highest in the nation, behind only New Jersey); Delaware 507.9 per square mile (7th- highest). Rhode Island is 2.1× more densely populated than Delaware. The Providence metro area packs most of Rhode Island's residents into a tight Atlantic coastal strip; Delaware's population is more spread between Wilmington (north) and the agricultural Sussex County (south).

The First State vs the Last Colony: a constitutional history

Despite their small sizes, both states played outsized roles in early American history — and they took opposite sides of the same question. The question: should the original thirteen colonies ratify the new US Constitution?

Delaware — the First State (December 7, 1787)

Delaware ratified the US Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787, becoming the first state of the new union. The vote was 30-0 at a state convention in Dover. Delaware's eagerness was strategic: as a small state without major commercial leverage, federation under a strong national government meant equal representation in the Senate (two senators regardless of size) and shared trade rules. The "First State" nickname has been on Delaware license plates ever since.

Rhode Island — the Last Colony (May 29, 1790)

Rhode Island refused to ratify for almost three years. As an independent-minded Atlantic trading colony with its own paper currency and Quaker religious traditions, Rhode Island feared losing autonomy to a strong federal government. The state held out, demanding a Bill of Rights as a precondition. The Bill of Rights was drafted (largely by James Madison, in response to states' concerns) in 1789 and proposed to the states; Rhode Island finally ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, becoming the 13th and last of the original colonies. Six months later the Bill of Rights was ratified — Rhode Island's stubbornness directly shaped the early American Republic.

Drawn to scale: Delaware next to Rhode Island

Both states drawn at the same area-per-pixel scale, side by side. Delaware is the taller, north-south oriented state on the left; Rhode Island is more compact and square-ish on the right.

Delaware and Rhode Island at the same Albers Equal-Area Conic scale. Delaware extends roughly 100 miles north-to-south along the Delaware Bay; Rhode Island spans about 48 miles in its longest dimension. Same scale; the visible size difference is the honest 1.88× ratio.

10 surprising facts about Delaware vs Rhode Island

Delaware has the lowest highest-point of any US state. Ebright Azimuth tops out at 448 feet — lower than the tallest building in many cities.
Rhode Island has 5 counties — but they don't function. Rhode Island abolished county government in 1846. The 5 counties exist only as geographic and statistical units. RI is the only US state without functioning county governments.
Delaware has 3 counties — the FEWEST of any US state. New Castle, Kent, Sussex. The same three counties that existed when Delaware was a Dutch then English colony.
Rhode Island has the most coastline per square mile of any state in the lower 48. 40 mi of coast on 1,034 sq mi of land = 3.9% of land within a mile of coast.
Delaware is taller-than-wide. Roughly 100 miles north-to-south vs 9-35 miles east-to-west. Rhode Island is more square-ish (~48 mi × 37 mi).
Rhode Island had the longest official state name in the union until 2020. "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Voters approved shortening it to "Rhode Island" on November 3, 2020.
Delaware was the first state — Rhode Island was the last of the original 13. The constitutional ratification gap was 2 years, 5 months, 22 days.
Both are denser than most countries. Rhode Island (1,061/sq mi) and Delaware (508/sq mi) are both denser than India (1,148/sq mi total but mostly rural).
One Texas county is bigger than both states combined. Brewster County, TX (6,193 sq mi) is bigger than Delaware (1,949) + Rhode Island (1,034) = 2,983 sq mi.
Alaska is 191× the size of Delaware and 360× the size of Rhode Island. Alaska's 570,641 sq mi could fit 360 Rhode Islands or 293 Delawares.

Methodology and sources

State area: US Census Bureau, State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates (2020). Land area excludes inland water bodies.

Population: US Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census.

Coastline: NOAA Office for Coastal Management, General Coastline figures.

State outlines: US Census TIGER/Line via the us-atlas TopoJSON. Hero overlay rendered via d3.geoConicEqualArea (US standard, parallels 29.5°N + 45.5°N). Last reviewed 15 May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — Delaware is 1,949 square miles of land; Rhode Island is 1,034 square miles. Delaware is 1.88 times larger than Rhode Island by land area. Both states sit at the bottom of the size rankings: Rhode Island is the smallest US state at #50 by area, Delaware is #49.

Delaware is 1.88× larger than Rhode Island by land area — a difference of 915 square miles. That gap is almost equal to Rhode Island's entire land area. Rhode Island fits inside Delaware with roughly 0.88 more Rhode Island areas of Delaware land left over.

Rhode Island, despite being smaller. Rhode Island's 2020 Census population was 1,097,379; Delaware's was 989,948. Rhode Island has 11% more people than Delaware on about half the land. Rhode Island's population density (1,061 per sq mi) is more than double Delaware's (508 per sq mi) — Rhode Island is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey.

Rhode Island IS the smallest US state by total area — 1,545 square miles (including water). Delaware is 2,489 square miles by total area. So Rhode Island is #50 by both land area and total area. The official name "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" was the longest state name in the country until voters shortened it to just "Rhode Island" in 2020.

Delaware was the FIRST state to ratify the US Constitution, on December 7, 1787 — earning its nickname "The First State." Rhode Island was the LAST of the original thirteen colonies to ratify, on May 29, 1790. Rhode Island held out for almost three years, demanding a Bill of Rights as a condition of joining. The Bill of Rights was ratified in December 1791 — Rhode Island's stubbornness shaped the early Republic.

Rhode Island, by 364 feet. Rhode Island's highest point is Jerimoth Hill at 812 feet. Delaware's highest point is Ebright Azimuth at just 448 feet — the LOWEST high point of any US state. Delaware is the flattest state in the union.

Delaware has 3 counties — the FEWEST of any US state (New Castle, Kent, Sussex). Rhode Island has 5 counties on paper, but they have no functioning county government — the state abolished county governments in 1846, making it the only state where counties exist only as geographic and statistical units.

Rhode Island, despite being smaller. Rhode Island has 40 miles of general coastline (NOAA figures); Delaware has 28 miles. Rhode Island has 1.4× more coastline than Delaware, and the "Ocean State" nickname is justified — Rhode Island has more coastline per square mile of land than any other state in the lower 48.

Delaware (1,949 sq mi) is roughly the size of Luxembourg (998 sq mi) doubled — actually closer to Trinidad and Tobago (1,981 sq mi) or French Polynesia (1,609 sq mi). Rhode Island (1,034 sq mi) is roughly the size of Hong Kong (1,113 sq mi) or about the same as Western Samoa (1,093 sq mi). Both states would rank in the world's bottom-50 countries by area if independent.

Delaware: about 100 miles north-to-south (Wilmington to Fenwick Island) — roughly 2 hours non-stop. East-to-west is much shorter, just 9-35 miles depending on the latitude. Rhode Island: about 48 miles in the longest dimension (north-south) — under an hour. RI is so small you can drive from end-to-end in less time than a typical commute in larger cities.

Neither has a National Park in the technical sense. Both have National Park Service sites: Delaware has First State National Historical Park (the only NPS site exclusively in Delaware) and a sliver of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways. Rhode Island has Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence and the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (shared with Massachusetts).

Related size comparisons

Open Delaware + Rhode Island in the interactive Country Size Comparison tool — drag either state across the world map at true area scale.
Texas vs California size comparison — another "bigger state, smaller population" reversal at a larger scale.
Texas vs Alaska size comparison — Alaska is 2.18× Texas; the largest-state bumper sticker, debunked.
Alaska vs California size comparison — Alaska is 3.66× California; almost four Californias fit inside Alaska.
Alaska vs Lower 48 size comparison — the contiguous US is 5.18× Alaska; the opposite extreme of the size table from this matchup.
California vs Florida size comparison — California is 2.91× Florida by land, but Florida has 60% more coastline.
All 3 Delaware counties and all 5 Rhode Island counties (paper counties — see article for governance details).
UK vs USA size comparison — the USA is 40× the UK; the small-vs-vast scale comparison at country level.
All size comparisons — full library.

Suggested citation: SimpleMapLab (2026). Delaware vs Rhode Island Size: How Much Bigger Is Delaware? Part of the SimpleMapLab Size Comparisons series. Retrieved from https://www.simplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/delaware-vs-rhode-island. Licensed under CC-BY 4.0.