Blades: Housing & Real Estate
Blades homes sell at a median $227,900 (estimated market value runs 21% higher at $276,716), with median rent $1,012 (1.2× below Sussex County median $1,238; 1.4× below Delaware median $1,401). Homeownership rate: 70.4%. That's 1.7× below the Sussex County median ($382,600); 1.5× below the Delaware median ($352,000). Market is warm. Vacancy rate 14.0%. New construction makes up 8.2% of stock. A municipal building code is in effect.
- 4.0× annual income — home value vs. household income (vs Delaware 3.8×).
- 18.8 years to break even renting at the median (vs Delaware 18y).
- 4-BR rent is 2.1× a studio — rent gradient by unit size.
- Median rent 27% below HUD 2-BR FMR — local market vs federal subsidy benchmark.
Home Values & Rent
Median home value $227,900 — 0.8× the Delaware median ($291,400). Median rent $1,012/month. homeownership rate 70.4% — above the U.S. share of ~65%.
| Affordability · Home Price To Income | 4.0× |
|---|---|
| Affordability · Home Affordability | moderate |
| Affordability · Rent Pct Income | 17.7% |
| Affordability · Rent Affordability | affordable |
| Affordability · Pct Severely Rent Burdened | 23.4% |
| Affordability · Poverty Rate | 13.0% |
| Affordability · Property Tax Pct Income | 1.8% |
| Fair Market Rent · Studio rent | $1,059 (vs Delaware $1,397) |
| Fair Market Rent · One-bedroom rent | $1,066 (vs Delaware $1,520) |
| Fair Market Rent · Two-bedroom rent | $1,399 (vs Delaware $1,810) |
| Fair Market Rent · Three-bedroom rent | $1,757 (vs Delaware $2,170) |
| Fair Market Rent · Four-bedroom rent | $2,172 (vs Delaware $2,423) |
| Fair Market Rent · HUD FMR area | Sussex County, DE |
| Fair Market Rent · Fiscal year | FY2026 |
| Home Value Estimate | $276,716 |
| Median Home Value | $227,900 (vs Delaware $291,400) |
| Median Rent | $1,012 (vs Delaware $1,344) |
Sources: HUD FMR FY2026 · Census ACS 5-Year 2023, B25077 · Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Tenure & Occupancy
Owner-occupied vs renter-occupied housing units, plus vacancy rates.
| Housing Market · Market temperature | warm |
|---|---|
| Housing Market · Vacancy rate | 14.0% |
| Housing Market · New construction (% of stock) | 8.2% |
| Housing Market · Price Appreciation 2Yr | 8.7% |
Utilities
Electricity, water, and broadband infrastructure serving residents. Broadband percentages reflect the share of premises that can subscribe to service at the listed speed (FCC Form 477).
Systems (1)
| Broadband · % of premises with 25/3 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at Delaware median) |
|---|---|
| Broadband · % of premises with 100/20 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at Delaware median) |
| Broadband · % of premises with 250/25 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at Delaware median) |
| Broadband · % of premises with 1 Gbps / 100 Mbps broadband | 14.5% (vs Delaware 82.0%) |
| Broadband · Broadband-capable premises | 539 |
| Electricity · Electricity rate (¢/kWh) | 16.57¢/kWh |
| Electricity · Customers | 473508 |
| Electricity · Revenue Millions | $857 |
| Electricity · Year | 2024 |
| Mobile Broadband · 3G mobile coverage | 0.000000000 |
| Mobile Broadband · 4G mobile coverage | 1.000000000 (at Delaware median) |
| Mobile Broadband · 5G mobile coverage | 1.000000000 (at Delaware median) |
| Mobile Home Parks Detail · County total | 15 |
Sources: FCC BDC Jun 2025 · EIA Annual Retail Sales 2023 · FCC BDC Mobile 2024 · HIFLD / IRS BMF · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Other
| Homeownership Rate | 70.4% (vs Delaware 61.8%) |
|---|---|
| Median Year Built | 1978 |
Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12