County FMR · HUD FY2026

Sussex County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Sussex County, DE - 11% above the US average.

$1,066
1-bedroom FMR
$1,399
2-bedroom FMR
+0.0%
YoY change
+11%
vs US avg

The verdict

Sussex is the 1st cheapest of 3 counties in Delaware by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #566 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#566
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#1
cheapest of 3 in Delaware (2BR)
-15%
vs the state average
$42,640
income to afford it (30% rule)

General and Operations Managers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (9.3%), while Fast Food and Counter Workers spend the most (42.3%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Sussex County, DE. Verify with HUD →

HUD sets the FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Sussex County, Delaware at $1,066 per month - the federal rental-assistance benchmark for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,399/mo and a studio is $1,059/mo. This is 11% higher than the national average of $959 and 15% below the Delaware average of $1,250.

Rent increased0.0% from FY 2025 ($1,066), roughly tracking inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $42,640/year for a 1-bedroom.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Delaware. Population: 240,668. Population grew 12.9% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing counties nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. That's faster than Delaware's statewide growth of +5.9% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area SUSSEX·COUNTY·DE·DE

Sussex County, DE: $1,066/mo 1BR · #566 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA DE
  • 1BR-FMR $1,066
  • 2BR-FMR $1,399
  • RANK-MID #566
  • YOY-FLAT +0.0%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +11%
  • VS-ST-LOW -15% DE
  • INC-ROOM 16%
  • POP-MID 241K
  • PHOTO-NEAR New Castle County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $959–$1,173
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: New Castle ($454 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,205 · US avg: $893
$1,059/mo
↑ 2.7% YoY -12% vs state +19% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,250 · US avg: $959
$1,066/mo
↑ 0.0% YoY -15% vs state +11% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,560 · US avg: $1,175
$1,399/mo
↑ 0.1% YoY -10% vs state +19% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,990 · US avg: $1,525
$1,757/mo
↓ 0.3% YoY -12% vs state +15% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,293 · US avg: $1,756
$2,172/mo
↓ 1.1% YoY -5% vs state +24% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $1,031
$1,059
+$28 (+2.7%)
1 Bedroom $1,066
$1,066
$0 (0.0%)
2 Bedroom $1,398
$1,399
+$1 (+0.1%)
3 Bedroom $1,763
$1,757
$-6 (-0.3%)
4 Bedroom $2,197
$2,172
$-25 (-1.1%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Sussex County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
16.3%
Affordable
Need $42,360/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
16.4%
Affordable
Need $42,640/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
21.5%
Affordable
Need $55,960/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
27%
Affordable
Need $70,280/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
33.3%
Burdened
Need $86,880/yr for 30% rule
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.

0%100%National avg22%21.5%
Sussex County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $78,162 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Delaware rent burden →

Where Sussex sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$1,399 Top 18% higher than 82% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

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 Sussex compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Delaware counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Sussex is highlighted. Nearby Delaware counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: New Castle County ($1,520), Kent County ($1,165), Sussex County (this county) ($1,066).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $1,066/mo compares to Delaware salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation DE Salary Rent Burden Verdict
General & Operations Managers $136,900 9.3% Affordable
Software Developers $135,160 9.5% Affordable
Registered Nurses $92,610 13.8% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $84,560 15.1% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $83,230 15.4% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $66,390 19.3% Affordable
Electricians $62,970 20.3% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $60,000 21.3% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,510 21.9% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $46,300 27.6% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $43,470 29.4% Affordable
Teaching Assistants $36,760 34.8% Stretched
Janitors & Cleaners $34,560 37% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $34,200 37.4% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $30,210 42.3% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Delaware) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Sussex County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Sussex (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 45.8% overall, from $731 to $1,066. Most of that movement was gradual except for a single sharp jump of +17.6% in FY 2024, well above this county's typical year-to-year change.

$700$800$900$1,000$1,100 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $1,066
Sussex County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑0.0% $1,059 $1,066 $1,399
FY 2025 ↑7.9% $1,031 $1,066 $1,398
FY 2024 ↑17.6% $909 $988 $1,298
FY 2023 ↑14.6% $744 $840 $1,106
FY 2022 ↑0.1% $651 $733 $964
FY 2021 ↑0.1% $641 $732 $965
FY 2020 $637 $731 $948
Total change (6yr): +45.8%
Annualized: +6.5%/yr
1 BR: $731 → $1,066

Part of the Seaford, DE Micro Area

Sussex County is a central county of the Seaford, DE micropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Sussex 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).

Curry County
OR · 2 BR $1,400/mo
Fallon County
MT · 2 BR $1,401/mo
Pima County
AZ · 2 BR $1,402/mo
Kenosha County
WI · 2 BR $1,402/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside DE).

Robertson County
TX · 21.5% of income · 2 BR $1,186/mo
Coryell County
TX · 21.5% of income · 2 BR $1,233/mo
Rockcastle County
KY · 21.5% of income · 2 BR $866/mo
Lucas County
OH · 21.5% of income · 2 BR $1,076/mo

Nearby Counties in Delaware

Largest counties by population in Delaware

New Castle County
1 BR: $1,520/mo Pop: 570,567
Kent County
1 BR: $1,165/mo Pop: 182,400
View all counties in Delaware →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Sussex County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Sussex County is $1,066 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,399 and a studio is $1,059.
How does Sussex County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Sussex County is 11% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $1,066 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Sussex County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Sussex County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,399 ranks #566 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the upper-rent quarter of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Sussex County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $42,640 ($3,553/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Sussex County.
Is rent going up or down in Sussex County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Sussex County increased by 0.0% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $1,066 to $1,066.
Which jobs can afford rent in Sussex 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 $1,066/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Sussex County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Sussex County went from $731 in FY 2020 to $1,066 in FY 2026, a total change of +45.8% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Sussex County? ▼
In Sussex County, the FY 2026 FMR of $1,066/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 Sussex County? ▼
For Sussex County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($1,066/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

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.