HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in New Castle County, Delaware (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in New Castle County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $1,810 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in New Castle keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,810
+0.4% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,629–$1,991
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$72,400
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Delaware
1st of 3
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in New Castle moves to $1,860. That's up 3%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,397 | $1,257–$1,537 | $55,880 | $26.87/hr | +1.8% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,520 | $1,368–$1,672 | $60,800 | $29.23/hr | +0.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,810 | $1,629–$1,991 | $72,400 | $34.81/hr | +0.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,170 | $1,953–$2,387 | $86,800 | $41.73/hr | -0.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,423 | $2,181–$2,665 | $96,920 | $46.60/hr | -1.8% |
Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $2,786 | $2,507–$3,065 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,150 | $2,835–$3,465 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,513 | $3,162–$3,864 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,877 | $3,489–$4,265 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in New Castle actually rent for?
Search any address in New Castle for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in New Castle somewhere between $1,629 and $1,991. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$1,810 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $72,400 a year. Put another way, $35 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | Voucher pays at 90%$1,629 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,810 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,991 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $879 | $1,060 | $1,241 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $429 | $610 | $791 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 0% from FY 2025 ($1,802) to FY 2026 ($1,810). Since FY 2020 it's up 48% in total, about 6.7% a year. The Delaware median moved down 1% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $864 | $1,013 | $1,226 | $1,528 | $1,754 | — |
| FY 2021 | $900 | $1,040 | $1,260 | $1,567 | $1,796 | +2.8% |
| FY 2022 | $940 | $1,071 | $1,298 | $1,605 | $1,837 | +3.0% |
| FY 2023 | $1,081 | $1,218 | $1,470 | $1,789 | $2,079 | +13.3% |
| FY 2024 | $1,303 | $1,451 | $1,737 | $2,100 | $2,422 | +18.2% |
| FY 2025 | $1,372 | $1,512 | $1,802 | $2,171 | $2,468 | +3.7% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,397 | $1,520 | $1,810 | $2,170 | $2,423 | +0.4% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,438 | $1,558 | $1,860 | $2,216 | $2,445 | +2.8% |
About this rate
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In New Castle, that runs from $1,397 for a studio up to $2,423 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps New Castle in with 10 other counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro, Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, Bucks County among them, and every one of them gets $1,810 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Delaware's 3 counties, New Castle ranks 1st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 23% above the state median of $1,470 and about 78% above the national median county at $1,018. About 570,567 people live here, 1st in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,550 in 19805 (Wilmington) and $2,220 in 19701 (Bear), with the 36 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19701 | Bear | $2,220 | +22.7% |
| 19702 | Newark | $1,930 | +6.6% |
| 19703 | Claymont | $1,640 | -9.4% |
| 19706 | Delaware City | $1,740 | -3.9% |
| 19707 | Hockessin | $2,060 | +13.8% |
| 19708 | Kirkwood | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19709 | Middletown | $2,010 | +11.0% |
| 19710 | Montchanin | $1,980 | +9.4% |
| 19711 | Newark | $1,830 | +1.1% |
| 19712 | Newark | $1,810County rate | — |
| 19713 | Newark | $1,680 | -7.2% |
| 19714 | Newark | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19715 | Newark | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19716 | Newark | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19717 | Newark | $1,830 | +1.1% |
| 19718 | Newark | $1,810County rate | — |
| 19720 | New Castle | $1,640 | -9.4% |
| 19721 | New Castle | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19725 | Newark | $1,810County rate | — |
| 19726 | New Castle | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19730 | Odessa | $1,680 | -7.2% |
| 19731 | Port Penn | $2,010 | +11.0% |
| 19732 | Rockland | $2,190 | +21.0% |
| 19733 | Saint Georges | $1,750 | -3.3% |
| 19734 | Townsend | $1,900 | +5.0% |
| 19735 | Winterthur | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19736 | Yorklyn | $2,190 | +21.0% |
| 19801 | Wilmington | $1,610 | -11.0% |
| 19802 | Wilmington | $1,600 | -11.6% |
| 19803 | Wilmington | $2,190 | +21.0% |
| 19804 | Wilmington | $1,580 | -12.7% |
| 19805 | Wilmington | $1,550 | -14.4% |
| 19806 | Wilmington | $1,740 | -3.9% |
| 19807 | Wilmington | $2,190 | +21.0% |
| 19808 | Wilmington | $1,720 | -5.0% |
| 19809 | Wilmington | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19810 | Wilmington | $1,780 | -1.7% |
| 19850 | Wilmington | $1,810County rate | — |
| 19880 | Wilmington | $1,810County rate | — |
| 19884 | Wilmington | $1,780 | -1.7% |
Counties sharing the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,810 two-bedroom figure as New Castle.
Philadelphia County
PA · 1,593,208 people
$1,810
Montgomery County
PA · 856,399 people
$1,810
Bucks County
PA · 645,163 people
$1,810
Delaware County
PA · 575,312 people
$1,810
Chester County
PA · 536,474 people
$1,810
Camden County
NJ · 522,581 people
$1,810
Burlington County
NJ · 461,853 people
$1,810
Gloucester County
NJ · 302,621 people
$1,810
Cecil County
MD · 103,876 people
$1,810
Salem County
NJ · 64,840 people
$1,810
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to New Castle.
Questions people ask
$1,810 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,397 for a studio, $1,520 for one bedroom, $2,170 for three and $2,423 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count
Section 8 rent calculator
Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords
Rent affordability calculator
The income a household needs for a given rent
What does a rental in New Castle actually go for?
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