Best PlacesSussex County, DE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Sussex County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Sussex County ranks 942nd of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $83,686, everyday costs sit below the national average, and a strong job market ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are the weather, summer heat, and car insurance costs.
The best neighborhoods in Sussex County
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
The best areas in Sussex County
The parts of Sussex County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Lewes & Rehoboth Beach
More adults hold degrees, biking is better, and local pay stretches further.
Ocean View, Selbyville & Frankford
More homes sit empty and fewer households have young kids.
Long Neck
Incomes run higher, though heat risk is higher.
Milton & Lincoln
Scores close to Long Neck, except that prices have run up more here.
Georgetown & Millsboro
Scores close to Milton & Lincoln, except that crime runs higher here.
Milford, Bridgeville & Greenwood
Homes cost less, though fewer residents vote.
Laurel & Delmar
Health care is harder to reach and schools score lower.
Seaford
Health outcomes score lower.
Sussex County shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 8% of the country and others in the top 7%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Sussex County's strengths and weaknesses
Sussex County lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. State infrastructure is the standout, in the top 2% of counties. Low property taxes and big-city access follow.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. The weather, summer heat, and car insurance costs hold the score down. The detail is below, and the map is where it turns into a choice of neighborhood rather than just a place.
Where Sussex County ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 98% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than 93% of counties
- Healthcare accessBetter than 91% of counties
- TransitBetter than 86% of counties
Where Sussex County ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 9% of counties
- Heat safetyBetter than only 23% of counties
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 25% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than only 27% of counties
- Short commute27.3 minutes each way, better than only 28% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Sussex County
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Sussex County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $83,686, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Sussex County's effective rate of 0.34%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Sussex County
Sussex County runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Sussex County.
Who works in Sussex County, and how
Work in Sussex County centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Sussex County
Sussex County has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of counties and less parkland per resident than most counties. The coast is about 22 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Sussex County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Sussex County growing, and who is moving in?
Sussex County has grown about 29% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Philadelphia, PA.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Sussex County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Sussex County, month by month
Sussex County sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 38° | 28° |
| April | 70° | 57° | 45° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Sussex County
The nearest airport, Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, about 80 miles away.
The best schools in and around Sussex County
Schools across Sussex County average a C, better than 33% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Lewes Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Love Creek Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Lord Baltimore Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Beacon Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Mariner Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Selbyville Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Sussex Central High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Sussex Technical High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Indian River High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Sussex County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Sussex County measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Sussex County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Sussex County suits
Families
Schools land around the 33rd percentile and crime safety beats 80%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 74% of counties and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Sussex County
Is Sussex County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Sussex County ranks 942nd of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low property taxes, and big-city access, and lowest on the weather and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Sussex County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $385,564. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $83,686 median income, cost of living beats 74% of counties.
Is Sussex County safe?
Yes, Sussex County is safer than 80% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $256 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Sussex County?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 28. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 9% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Sussex County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Lewes & Rehoboth Beach, Ocean View, Selbyville & Frankford, and Long Neck. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Sussex County good for families?
Schools beat 33% of counties, crime safety beats 80%, and childcare runs $749 a month.
Is Sussex County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 74% of counties, though advertised internet speeds beat only 51% of counties. About 14% of workers already work from home.
Compare Sussex County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Sussex County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Sussex County represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Sussex County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Sussex County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Sussex County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Sussex County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Sussex County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Sussex County detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.