Sussex County, DE
County Profile
255,626 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Sussex County, DE.
Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesUnemployment is 4.3% and median household income $81,497, putting employment conditions in the middle range of counties measured.
Residential permitting has slowed: 3,574 units authorized over the past twelve months, 18% below the prior year.
Rent takes 32% of renter income here, at or above the threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, while buying strains owner incomes less — the median home is 4.3 times what its owners earn, against a historic benchmark near three.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.3% — higher than in all but 42% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment fell 2.8% over the past year, to 118,768 employed residents.
33% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 82% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $112,195 | 96th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $79,252 | 87th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$1,5122024 ACS 5-Year | $81,497 | Top 16%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,0392024 ACS 5-Year | $46,684 | Top 10%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per-capita personal income2023 | $69,698 | Top 18%of 1,389 | 2023 |
| Poverty rate ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.6% | Top 32%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.7 min | Bottom 30%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year | 33.0% | Top 18%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.4% | 36th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 118,768 | Top 20%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | −0.4% | Bottom 44%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −2.8% | Bottom 11%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 124,157 | 80th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 76.2% | Top 47%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.5% | 71st percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.1% | Bottom 47%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.3% | Bottom 42%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.4% | 82nd percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
44% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 54% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 14.6 students for every full-time teacher across 45 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex Central High School | Indian River School District | 2,012 | 15.4 | 21% | 33% |
| Cape Henlopen High School | Cape Henlopen School District | 1,889 | 15.1 | 33% | 57% |
| Sussex Technical High School | Sussex Technical School District | 1,341 | 15.4 | 44% | 65% |
| Sussex Academy · charter | Sussex Academy | 1,182 | 20.0 | 78% | 93% |
| Laurel Elementary School | Laurel School District | 1,145 | 18.8 | 37% | 42% |
| Indian River High School | Indian River School District | 1,073 | 13.2 | 35% | 54% |
| Seaford Senior High School | Seaford School District | 960 | 21.3 | 8% | 22% |
| Georgetown Middle School | Indian River School District | 861 | 14.6 | 55% | 64% |
| Georgetown Elementary School | Indian River School District | 825 | 13.8 | 50% | 48% |
| East Millsboro Elementary School | Indian River School District | 820 | 16.1 | 70% | 64% |
| Seaford Middle School | Seaford School District | 800 | 16.3 | 27% | 46% |
| Selbyville Middle School | Indian River School District | 770 | 14.5 | 50% | 67% |
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Delaware’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,222 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.32% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,399, some 13% above the $1,238 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,399 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $56,000 a year, about 69% of the median household income here of $81,497.
The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,238 a month.
A median home at $382,600 costs 4.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $89,792, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against Sussex County’s median household income of $81,497, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 4.3 | Bottom 9%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.6% | 87th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1152024 ACS 5-Year | 151,799 | 94th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,066 | Bottom 38%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,757 | Bottom 32%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,399 | Bottom 29%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$422024 ACS 5-Year | $1,238 | Bottom 15%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$6,9862024 ACS 5-Year | $382,600 | 90th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$232024 ACS 5-Year | $1,222 | 34th percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$1,9672024 ACS 5-Year | $89,792 | Top 24%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.01%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.32% | 3rd percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.6% | Bottom 17%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1,0402024 ACS 5-Year | 38,223 | 99th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.2% | 95th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.7% | 13th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±1,1102024 ACS 5-Year | 45,358 | 99th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 14% since 2020, reaching 271,134 in 2024.
Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 3,885 units authorized in 2025, 11% below the prior year.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 271,134 residents in 2024, up 2.7% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 3,574 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 8% are in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Sussex County gained about 2.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $112,195, above the $79,252 of households that moved out.
At 14.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Wicomico County, MD 610 people · 4.3% of arrivals
- Montgomery County, MD 448 people · 3.2% of arrivals
- Baltimore County, MD 403 people · 2.8% of arrivals
- Worcester County, MD 349 people · 2.5% of arrivals
- Anne Arundel County, MD 339 people · 2.4% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Wicomico County, MD 687 people · 8.1% of departures
- Worcester County, MD 217 people · 2.6% of departures
- Anne Arundel County, MD 120 people · 1.4% of departures
- Baltimore County, MD 120 people · 1.4% of departures
- Montgomery County, MD 118 people · 1.4% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 29°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 43.9 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 40, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 55 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 43.9" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 29°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 88°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 40 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 42°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 36% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, winter weather, inland flooding, drought, strong wind, wildfire, ice storm, earthquake, tornado, hail, landslide, volcanic activity, tsunami, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Sussex County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.0 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 10.2 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 19.7 per 100,000 residents in Sussex County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe Sussex County as a whole. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Dover AFB at 32 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.5% | Top 16%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 32 mi | Top 46%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 4 | Top 43%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.7% | Top 22%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover AFB | DOV | 32 mi | 9,602 ft |
| Atlantic City Intl | ACY | 68 mi | 10,001 ft |
| Baltimore/Washington Intl Thurgood Marshall | BWI | 80 mi | 10,503 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Income | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
Cities in Sussex County, DE
ZIP areas
Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.