Counties in Delaware ranked
New Castle County is lowest at 2.0%, a gap of 1.5 times. The median Delaware county sits at 2.6%, against 3.3% for the median U.S. county. Source for Delaware: DOE LEAD 2022.
Delaware county map
Delaware counties, darker = higher. Click one for its page.
Highest energy burden in Delaware
Kent County leads Delaware on burden at 3.0% of income and Sussex County follows at 2.6%. For lower-income homes the top is Sussex County: 9.3% of income, against 8.2% in the median Delaware county.
| Lowest burden in Delaware | Share of income (DE) | Residents (DE) |
|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 2.0% | 573,030 |
| Sussex County | 2.6% | 247,799 |
| Kent County | 3.0% | 185,043 |
Storm reports and FEMA risk in Delaware
NOAA logged 254 damaging-wind, tornado, tropical, ice, winter and heat reports in Sussex County from 2015 to 2025, 103 for every 100,000 residents: the most in Delaware. FEMA scores New Castle County highest at 95.3 (relatively high). In Delaware these are weather reports and an index, not outage counts.
| Top 5 in Delaware | reports 2015-2025 (DE) | Residents (DE) | Rank (DE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County | 103 | 247,799 | 1st |
| Kent County | 79 | 185,043 | 2nd |
| New Castle County | 49 | 573,030 | 3rd |
| Top 5 in Delaware | score 0-100 (DE) | Residents (DE) | Rank (DE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 95.3 | 573,030 | 1st |
| Sussex County | 94.1 | 247,799 | 2nd |
| Kent County | 84.5 | 185,043 | 3rd |
Flood claims and flood insurance in Delaware
Sussex County has the most NFIP flood claims per 1,000 homes in Delaware: 2.9 from 2015 to 2025, against 1.3 in the median Delaware county. Sussex County has the highest share of homes with flood insurance (12.7%, median county 1.3%). Claims are a record of insured losses, not outage counts.
| Top 5 in Delaware | claims 2015-2025 (DE) | Residents (DE) | Rank (DE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County | 2.9 | 247,799 | 1st |
| New Castle County | 1.3 | 573,030 | 2nd |
| Kent County | 0.8 | 185,043 | 3rd |
| Top 5 in Delaware | % of homes insured (DE) | Residents (DE) | Rank (DE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County | 12.7% | 247,799 | 1st |
| Kent County | 1.3% | 185,043 | 2nd |
| New Castle County | 0.9% | 573,030 | 3rd |
FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP, as of 8 Sep 2026. Flood claims by county.
Old homes, electric heat and utilities in Delaware
New Castle County has the oldest stock: 57% of homes date from before 1980. Electric heat is most common in Sussex County at 52% of homes, and Kent County lists 4 utilities, the most in Delaware.
| Top 5 in Delaware | % of homes (DE) | Residents (DE) | Rank (DE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 57% | 573,030 | 1st |
| Kent County | 35% | 185,043 | 2nd |
| Sussex County | 25% | 247,799 | 3rd |
| Top 5 in Delaware | % of homes (DE) | Residents (DE) | Rank (DE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex County | 52% | 247,799 | 1st |
| Kent County | 33% | 185,043 | 2nd |
| New Castle County | 31% | 573,030 | 3rd |
Each Delaware county in turn
- Kent County, 185,043 residents: home energy burden 3.0% (1st of 3); energy burden of lower-income homes 8.2% (2nd of 3); storm reports per 100,000 residents 79 (2nd of 3); FEMA National Risk Index score 84.5 (3rd of 3); share of homes built before 1980 35% (2nd of 3); share of homes heated by electricity 33% (2nd of 3); 4 utilities listed.
- New Castle County, 573,030 residents: home energy burden 2.0% (3rd of 3); energy burden of lower-income homes 8.0% (3rd of 3); storm reports per 100,000 residents 49 (3rd of 3); FEMA National Risk Index score 95.3 (1st of 3); share of homes built before 1980 57% (1st of 3); share of homes heated by electricity 31% (3rd of 3); 3 utilities listed.
- Sussex County, 247,799 residents: home energy burden 2.6% (2nd of 3); energy burden of lower-income homes 9.3% (1st of 3); storm reports per 100,000 residents 103 (1st of 3); FEMA National Risk Index score 94.1 (2nd of 3); share of homes built before 1980 25% (3rd of 3); share of homes heated by electricity 52% (1st of 3); 3 utilities listed.
Find your Delaware county
- Pick a Delaware county to see its ranks.
All 3 Delaware counties, sortable
| Kent County | 185,043 | 3.0% | 8.2% | 79 | 84.5 | 35% | 33% | 4 | 0.8 | 1.3% | 147 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County | 573,030 | 2.0% | 8.0% | 49 | 95.3 | 57% | 31% | 3 | 1.3 | 0.9% | 281 |
| Sussex County | 247,799 | 2.6% | 9.3% | 103 | 94.1 | 25% | 52% | 3 | 2.9 | 12.7% | 254 |
Delaware: click a header to sort. Per-capita storm rates start at 5,000 residents.
Sources
| Source | Period | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|
| DOE LEAD (DE) | 2022 | 2 Oct 2026 |
| FEMA NRI (DE) | Dec 2025 | 2 Oct 2026 |
| NOAA Storm Events (DE) | 2015 to 2025 | 2 Oct 2026 |
| Census ACS (DE) | 2019 to 2023 | 2 Oct 2026 |
| EIA-861 (DE) | 2024 | 1 Oct 2026 |
Delaware LEAD figures are group estimates, not bills. Methodology.
Keep going
- Delaware prices, utilities and outages
- Help paying bills in Delaware
- Top 100 counties, city rankings, state burden ranking
Other states: Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana.
Questions
Which Delaware county has the highest home energy burden?
Kent County: 3.0% of income, against 2.6% for the median Delaware county (DOE LEAD 2022).
Which Delaware county has the lowest energy burden?
New Castle County at 2.0% of income.
How does Delaware compare with the whole country?
The median Delaware county has a burden of 2.6% and the median U.S. county 3.3%, across 3 Delaware counties and 3,053 U.S. counties with data.
Where do storms cause the most trouble in Delaware?
Sussex County has the most NOAA storm reports per 100,000 residents: 103 between 2015 and 2025.
Which Delaware county has the highest FEMA risk score?
New Castle County: 95.3, rated relatively high by FEMA (Dec 2025).
Where are the oldest homes in Delaware?
New Castle County: 57% of homes were built before 1980; the median Delaware county is at 35% (Census ACS 2023).
Which Delaware county relies most on electric heat?
Sussex County: 52% of homes heat with electricity, against 33% in the median county.
Which Delaware county has the most flood claims per home?
Sussex County: 2.9 NFIP claims per 1,000 homes from 2015 to 2025; the median Delaware county has 1.3 (FEMA OpenFEMA).
Are storm reports the same as power outages in Delaware?
No: in Delaware they are weather reports, not outage counts.
Where can Delaware households get help with bills?
See the Delaware help page. Highest burden: Kent County.