HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in New Castle County, Delaware (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in New Castle County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,860 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in New Castle keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,860
+2.8% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,674–$2,046
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$74,400
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Delaware
1st of 3
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 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 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,438 | $1,294–$1,582 | $57,520 | $27.65/hr | +2.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,558 | $1,402–$1,714 | $62,320 | $29.96/hr | +2.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,860 | $1,674–$2,046 | $74,400 | $35.77/hr | +2.8% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,216 | $1,994–$2,438 | $88,640 | $42.62/hr | +2.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,445 | $2,201–$2,690 | $97,800 | $47.02/hr | +0.9% |
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 | $2,812 | $2,531–$3,093 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,179 | $2,861–$3,497 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,545 | $3,191–$3,900 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,912 | $3,521–$4,303 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 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 $1,674 and $2,046. 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.
$1,860 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $74,400 a year. Put another way, $36 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%$1,674 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,860 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,046 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $924 | $1,110 | $1,296 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $474 | $660 | $846 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2026 ($1,810) to FY 2027 ($1,860). Since FY 2020 it's up 52% in total, about 6.1% a year. The Delaware median moved up 11% 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 2026 | $1,397 | $1,520 | $1,810 | $2,170 | $2,423 | +0.4% |
| FY 2027In effect | $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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In New Castle, that runs from $1,438 for a studio up to $2,445 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 $1,860 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 14% above the state median of $1,629 and about 75% above the national median county at $1,063. About 577,961 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 $1,570 in 19804 (Wilmington) and $2,270 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 | $2,270 | +22.0% |
| 19702 | Newark | $1,990 | +7.0% |
| 19703 | Claymont | $1,690 | -9.1% |
| 19706 | Delaware City | $1,800 | -3.2% |
| 19707 | Hockessin | $1,940 | +4.3% |
| 19708 | Kirkwood | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19709 | Middletown | $2,020 | +8.6% |
| 19710 | Montchanin | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19711 | Newark | $1,900 | +2.2% |
| 19712 | Newark | $1,860County rate | — |
| 19713 | Newark | $1,680 | -9.7% |
| 19714 | Newark | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19715 | Newark | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19716 | Newark | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19717 | Newark | $1,900 | +2.2% |
| 19718 | Newark | $1,860County rate | — |
| 19720 | New Castle | $1,630 | -12.4% |
| 19721 | New Castle | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19725 | Newark | $1,860County rate | — |
| 19726 | New Castle | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19730 | Odessa | $1,660 | -10.8% |
| 19731 | Port Penn | $2,020 | +8.6% |
| 19732 | Rockland | $2,230 | +19.9% |
| 19733 | Saint Georges | $1,750 | -5.9% |
| 19734 | Townsend | $1,870 | +0.5% |
| 19735 | Winterthur | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19736 | Yorklyn | $2,170 | +16.7% |
| 19801 | Wilmington | $1,670 | -10.2% |
| 19802 | Wilmington | $1,610 | -13.4% |
| 19803 | Wilmington | $2,250 | +21.0% |
| 19804 | Wilmington | $1,570 | -15.6% |
| 19805 | Wilmington | $1,580 | -15.1% |
| 19806 | Wilmington | $1,790 | -3.8% |
| 19807 | Wilmington | $2,170 | +16.7% |
| 19808 | Wilmington | $1,760 | -5.4% |
| 19809 | Wilmington | $1,810 | -2.7% |
| 19810 | Wilmington | $1,880 | +1.1% |
| 19850 | Wilmington | $1,860County rate | — |
| 19880 | Wilmington | $1,860County rate | — |
| 19884 | Wilmington | $1,810 | -2.7% |
Counties sharing the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,860 two-bedroom figure as New Castle.
Philadelphia County
PA · 1,579,706 people
$1,860
Montgomery County
PA · 867,573 people
$1,860
Bucks County
PA · 647,461 people
$1,860
Delaware County
PA · 579,222 people
$1,860
Chester County
PA · 547,840 people
$1,860
Camden County
NJ · 527,257 people
$1,860
Burlington County
NJ · 467,805 people
$1,860
Gloucester County
NJ · 306,954 people
$1,860
Cecil County
MD · 104,960 people
$1,860
Salem County
NJ · 65,275 people
$1,860
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to New Castle.
Questions people ask
$1,860 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,438 for a studio, $1,558 for one bedroom, $2,216 for three and $2,445 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?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in New Castle for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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