County FMR · HUD FY2026
New Castle County Fair Market Rent
HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for New Castle County, DE - 58% above the US average.
- $1,520
- 1-bedroom FMR
- $1,810
- 2-bedroom FMR
- +0.5%
- YoY change
- +58%
- vs US avg
The verdict
New Castle is the 1st most expensive of 3 counties in Delaware by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #220 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.
- #220
- most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
- #1
- most expensive of 3 in Delaware (2BR)
- +22%
- vs the state average
- $60,800
- income to afford it (30% rule)
General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (13.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (60.4%).
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for New Castle County, DE. Verify with HUD →
New Castle County, Delaware carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,520 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,810/mo and a studio is $1,397/mo. That's 58% above the national benchmark of $959 and 22% above the Delaware average of $1,250.
Rent increased0.5% from FY 2025 ($1,512), roughly tracking inflation. Clearing the 30% rule here takes $60,800/year, a high bar relative to most US counties.
Observed renter burden: 44.4% of the 70,201 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.
Market slack: The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
Local labor market: The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 5.0% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Delaware. Population: 570,567. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+3.2%, Census ACS). That's slower than Delaware's statewide growth of +5.9% over the same period.
FMR filing desk
Area NEW·CASTLE·COUNTY·DE·DE
New Castle County, DE: $1,520/mo 1BR · #220 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026
- FMR-AREA DE
- 1BR-FMR $1,520
- 2BR-FMR $1,810
- RANK-UPPER #220
- YOY-FLAT +0.5%
- VSUS-HIGH +58%
- VS-ST-HIGH +22% DE
- INC-MID 20%
- POP-MAJOR 571K
- PHOTO-NEAR Sussex County
- VOUCH-90-110 $1,368–$1,672
- FY-2026 FY2026
Photo-finish peer: Sussex ($454 1BR gap)
Read with: Understanding rent burden
Fair Market Rents (2026)
Year-over-Year Comparison
| Bedrooms | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,372 | $1,397 | +$25 (+1.8%) |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,512 | $1,520 | +$8 (+0.5%) |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,802 | $1,810 | +$8 (+0.4%) |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,171 | $2,170 | $-1 (-0.0%) |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,468 | $2,423 | $-45 (-1.8%) |
Rent Burden Analysis
How much of household income goes to rent in New Castle County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.
How we calculate this
Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.
Where New Castle sits among every US county
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties
$1,810 Top 7% higher than 93% of 3,145 counties
Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026
How New Castle compares on 1-bedroom rent
1-bedroom FMR vs other Delaware counties
- New Castle
New Castle County
$1,520 1BR FMR / mo
- Kent
Kent County
$1,165 1BR FMR / mo
- Sussex
Sussex County
$1,066 1BR FMR / mo
What this shows New Castle is highlighted. Nearby Delaware counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: New Castle County (this county) ($1,520), Kent County ($1,165), Sussex County ($1,066).
Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?
Against a high local FMR of $1,520/mo, which of 15 common occupations still clear the 30% line using Delaware BLS wages?
| Occupation | DE Salary | Rent Burden | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| General & Operations Managers | $136,900 | 13.3% | Affordable |
| Software Developers | $135,160 | 13.5% | Affordable |
| Registered Nurses | $92,610 | 19.7% | Affordable |
| Accountants & Auditors | $84,560 | 21.6% | Affordable |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $83,230 | 21.9% | Affordable |
| Elementary School Teachers | $66,390 | 27.5% | Affordable |
| Electricians | $62,970 | 29% | Affordable |
| Paralegals & Legal Assistants | $60,000 | 30.4% | Stretched |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $58,510 | 31.2% | Stretched |
| Customer Service Representatives | $46,300 | 39.4% | Stretched |
| Pharmacy Technicians | $43,470 | 42% | Stretched |
| Teaching Assistants | $36,760 | 49.6% | Stretched |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $34,560 | 52.8% | Unaffordable |
| Retail Salespersons | $34,200 | 53.3% | Unaffordable |
| Fast Food & Counter Workers | $30,210 | 60.4% | Unaffordable |
Rent Trends (2020–2026)
7-year Fair Market Rent history for New Castle County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.
Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for New Castle (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 50.0% overall, from $1,013 to $1,520. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +19.1% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2026 ↑0.5% | $1,397 | $1,520 | $1,810 |
| FY 2025 ↑4.2% | $1,372 | $1,512 | $1,802 |
| FY 2024 ↑19.1% | $1,303 | $1,451 | $1,737 |
| FY 2023 ↑13.7% | $1,081 | $1,218 | $1,470 |
| FY 2022 ↑3.0% | $940 | $1,071 | $1,298 |
| FY 2021 ↑2.7% | $900 | $1,040 | $1,260 |
| FY 2020 | $864 | $1,013 | $1,226 |
Part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area
New Castle County is a central county of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan statistical area, alongside 10 other metro-area counties.
New Castle County ranks #11 of 11 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Philadelphia County ($1,520), Montgomery County ($1,520), Bucks County ($1,520), Delaware County ($1,520), Chester County ($1,520), Camden County ($1,520), Burlington County ($1,520), Gloucester County ($1,520), Cecil County ($1,520), Salem County ($1,520), New Castle County (this county) ($1,520).
Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden
Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for New Castle County, both outside Delaware so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.
Similar 2-bedroom FMR
Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside DE (FY2026).
Similar rent burden
Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside DE).
Nearby Counties in Delaware
Largest counties by population in Delaware
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in New Castle County?
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in New Castle County is $1,520 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,810 and a studio is $1,397.
How does New Castle County rent compare to the national average?
Rent in New Castle County is 58% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,520 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does New Castle County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent?
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, New Castle County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,810 ranks #220 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the highest-rent tenth of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in New Castle County?
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $60,800 ($5,067/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in New Castle County.
Is rent going up or down in New Castle County?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in New Castle County increased by 0.5% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,512 to $1,520.
Which jobs can afford rent in New Castle County?
Based on Delaware BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like General and Operations Managers, Software Developers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $1,520/mo. 7 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in New Castle County over time?
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in New Castle County went from $1,013 in FY 2020 to $1,520 in FY 2026, a total change of +50.0% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in New Castle County?
In New Castle County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,520/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for New Castle County?
For New Castle County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,520/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).
Is the rental market tight or loose in New Castle County?
The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.
What is the unemployment rate in New Castle County?
The county's BLS unemployment rate has averaged 5.0% over the past 12 months, close to the typical US county range.
Data sources
What this means for renters
Treat New Castle's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.
- Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $1,520 implies about $60,800/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
- Delaware counties vary widely around this figure - compare specific counties before assuming this applies to yours. Compare vs Sussex
- See where New Castle ranks nationally on rent. National rankings
Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Actual asking rents can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.
Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.