Property tax in Sussex County, Delaware
The median property tax bill in Sussex County, Delaware is $1,222 a year, which is about 0.32% of the county's median home value of $382,600. That effective rate is lower than the typical Delaware county (0.43%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Sussex County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Sussex County's average effective rate of 0.32% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,224 / year
Property tax in Sussex County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,222 |
| Median home value | $382,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.32% |
| Typical Delaware county rate | 0.43% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Sussex County compare in Delaware?
Among Delaware's 3 counties, Sussex County has the 3rd highest effective property-tax rate. Nationally, it ranks 3055th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Delaware county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Sussex County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Sussex County's 86,851 owner-occupied homes, 6.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 18.3% pay at least $2,000, and 26.5% pay under $800. Another 4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 23,031 | 26.5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 30,294 | 34.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 14,157 | 16.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 10,595 | 12.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 5,289 | 6.1% |
| No property tax paid | 3,485 | 4% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,298 and owners without one pay $1,092. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Sussex County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,222 is about 1.4% of the median income of Sussex County homeowner households, $89,792 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 81.6% of Sussex County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Sussex County?
Yes. The median bill went from $908 in 2015-2019 to $1,222 in 2020-2024, a 34.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 48%, from $258,600 to $382,600. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Sussex County
Sussex County borders 6 counties, 5 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May County, NJ | 1.22% | $5,306 | $434,600 |
| Dorchester County, MD | 0.94% | $2,456 | $262,400 |
| Caroline County, MD | 0.9% | $2,619 | $290,100 |
| Wicomico County, MD | 0.85% | $2,171 | $254,700 |
| Worcester County, MD | 0.73% | $2,738 | $374,700 |
| Kent County, DE | 0.43% | $1,363 | $316,600 |
| Sussex County, DE (this county) | 0.32% | $1,222 | $382,600 |
How is a home assessed in Sussex County?
Delaware sets the assessment rules and Sussex County applies them. How Delaware assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Sussex County?
No. Delaware has no general homestead exemption; relief comes through the age-65 and disabled-veteran school tax credits and county-level exemptions with income limits. That is the Delaware rule, and it applies in Sussex County. Delaware's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Sussex County?
Delaware bills once a year, not in installments. Counties issue bills in the summer and the entire annual amount is due by September 30 in all three counties. Kent and Sussex add a 1.5% penalty per month on anything unpaid after that date. State law lets a county accept quarterly or more frequent payments if it chooses.
That is the Delaware rule. Sussex County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Sussex County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the your county board of assessment, then Delaware Superior Court. The filing deadline is typically set by each county, not statewide: New Castle March 14, Kent the last working day in January, Sussex March 15. That is the Delaware rule; Sussex County sets the exact dates and forms. The Delaware appeal process step by step.
Delaware rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Delaware page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Sussex County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Delaware income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Delaware actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Sussex County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Sussex County, Delaware: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.