New Castle County, Delaware Housing Market Prices
New Castle County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 9% below the Delaware median Cheapest county in Delaware$220,844
-
Median rent 3% above the Delaware median Most expensive county in Delaware$1,448
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $220,844 | $243,076 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 6.4% | 4.0% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,448 | $1,401 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 3.9% | 3.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in New Castle County is about 9% lower than in Delaware. Rent is about 3% higher than the Delaware average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in New Castle County, up about 6.4% and 3.9% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in New Castle County rose about 39.5% between 2015 and 2024, from $1,038 to $1,448. Over the same span, rent in Delaware rose about 37.7%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 2.4 yearly household incomes in New Castle County.
Buying the median-priced home in New Castle County costs roughly 12.7 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in New Castle County. The price-to-rent ratio in Delaware is about 14.5.
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $220,844 | $243,076 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $91,590 | $85,760 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in New Castle County rose about 40.3%, while median household income rose about 40.7% between 2009 and 2025 — keeping pace with each other.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 65.6% | 63.2% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 29.4% | 23.5% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 5.0% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 16.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2010 | 2011 | 2011 |
New Castle County has a homeownership rate of 65.6%, higher than the Delaware average of 63.2%. Its housing vacancy rate is 5.0%, compared with 13.4% in Delaware.
Housing Stock
| Metric | New Castle County | Delaware Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.50 people | 2.48 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1975 | 1983 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in New Castle County was built around 1975. On average, 2.5 people live in a home with about 6.2 rooms, staying for about 16.0 years on average.
New Castle County, DE Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
New Castle County, DE is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 577,338 residents against a local median of 187,603. New Castle County, DE sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 14% above the local median at $220,844 against $194,369. New Castle County, DE has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County, DE | 577,338 | $220,844 #3/6 | $1,448 #2/6 | 69.0% #6/6 |
| Salem County, NJ | 65,196 | $146,481 | $1,253 | 71.0% |
| Cecil County, MD | 104,960 | $137,826 | $1,377 | 75.3% |
| Chester County, PA | 543,223 | $226,626 | $1,763 | 75.1% |
| Delaware County, PA | 578,234 | $194,369 | $1,372 | 69.6% |
| Kent County, DE | 187,603 | $239,515 | $1,354 | 72.5% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in New Castle County, Delaware.
What is the median home price in New Castle County, Delaware?
The median home price in New Castle County, Delaware is $220,844, lower than the Delaware average of $243,076.
What is the average home price in New Castle County, Delaware?
The typical home price in New Castle County, Delaware, reported as the median sale price, is $220,844. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in New Castle County, Delaware?
The median gross rent in New Castle County, Delaware is $1,448 per month, higher than the Delaware average of $1,401.
What was the median gross rent in New Castle County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in New Castle County, Delaware was $1,181 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in New Castle County, Delaware?
The price-to-rent ratio in New Castle County, Delaware is about 12.7, meaning it would take roughly 12.7 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in New Castle County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in New Castle County, Delaware?
Both home prices and rent are rising in New Castle County, up about 6.4% and 3.9% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in New Castle County, Delaware?
65.6% of households in New Castle County, Delaware own their home, higher than the Delaware average of 63.2%.
What is the vacancy rate in New Castle County, Delaware?
The housing vacancy rate in New Castle County, Delaware is 5.0%, lower than the Delaware average of 13.4%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →