About one in 11 people in Sussex County, Delaware, lives below the poverty line
In Sussex County, 9.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sussex County's score
In Sussex County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 63.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 31.5. The typical household earns $84,917 a year (2024), more than in 85% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sussex County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Sussex County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th percentile
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- 56.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.1% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.7 · 202542nd percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 31.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,917 · 202414th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Sussex County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Sussex County, 30.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sussex County
Delaware
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sussex County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Sussex County, Delaware, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sussex County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.8% in 2012 to 13.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Sussex County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sussex County, Delaware.
How Sussex County has changed
Sussex County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 232,670 in 2019 to 271,134 in 2024.
Sussex County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 271,134, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 102,069. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sussex County, Delaware.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sussex County doubled to 96,307, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 96,307. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sussex County, Delaware.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,774 | 2024 $84,917 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Sussex County's history
1632
Zwaanendael Dutch settlement destroyed; 32 settlers killed by Lenape. Wikipedia
1664
Mennonite settlement destroyed by English; complete destruction. Wikipedia
1998
A rip current in August 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A rip current in August 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A rip current in September 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A rip current in September 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 237,378, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sussex County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sussex County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sussex County, in Delaware and Maryland, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sussex County ranks 5th of the six; Dorchester County is highest, at 31.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County, MD | 83 | 14.1% | 31.5% |
| Wicomico County, MD | 76 | 16.0% | 29.6% |
| Kent County, DE | 74 | 10.2% | 26.7% |
| Caroline County, MD | 60 | 11.1% | 27.8% |
| Sussex County, DE | 41 | 9.5% | 26.3% |
| Worcester County, MD | 39 | 10.6% | 24.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Sussex County the poorest county in Delaware?
No, Sussex County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, the lowest of 3 in Delaware (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is New Castle County, at 10.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Sussex County ranks 3rd of 3 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sussex County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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First State Community Action Agency, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborgood Partners - Georgetown
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Telamon Corporation - Seaford Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI)
Legal aid
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Delaware Volunteer Legal Services (DVLS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Sussex County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Sussex County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.