Long Neck, Delaware

Community in Sussex County · population 3,017 (2020 Census)

Median home: $187,600
Household income: $56,745
Jan low / Jul high: 30° / 88°
Snow a year: 11 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 11
Median age: 67.1

Long Neck is a community of 3,017 people in Sussex County, Delaware. The median home is worth $187,600, below the typical Delaware town ($302,450). It ranks quieter than 96% of Delaware towns, better for first-time buyers than 93% of Delaware towns, more seaside character than 89% of Delaware towns.

Long Neck in our rankings:

How Long Neck ranks

Percentile among Delaware towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Delaware towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Long Neck is worth $187,600, below the typical Delaware town ($302,450). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $56,745, which is more affordable than 80% of Delaware towns. Median rent is $1,025 a month. 92.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Delaware towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Long Neck	Typical Delaware town
Median home value	$187,600	$302,450
Median rent	$1,025	$1,342
Median household income	$56,745	$78,707
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	3.8×
Homeownership	92.1%	72.0%
Median year built	2001	1987
Seasonal / vacation homes	41.5%	—

Who lives in Long Neck

People	Long Neck	Typical Delaware town
Median age	67.1	39.5
Age 65 and over	56.3%	17.5%
Under 18	7.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.3%	32.5%
Below the poverty line	10.2%	8.4%
Veterans	13.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.4%	—
Work from home	15.3%	13.8%
Average commute	23.7 min	25.1 min
Homes with broadband	95.0%	93.0%

Weather in Long Neck

July highs average 87.7°F and January lows 30.2°F. About 47.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 10.5 inches of snow (typical Delaware town: 12.8 in). Expect about 29 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 59 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Lewes station (11.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

11 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Long Neck since 1950, compared with 13 for the typical Delaware town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on August 12, 1955 about 8.1 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 30, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 9 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on May 16, 2025.

Severe weather in Sussex County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Sussex County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 15 deaths recorded.

Sussex County has been included in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 29, 2026	Winter Storm	DR-4916: Severe Winter Storm
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4526: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3449: Covid-19
March 16, 2016	Snowstorm	DR-4265: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
November 16, 2012	Hurricane	DR-4090: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Sussex County

Sussex County had 94,273 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,078 a year. Unemployment was 3.8% in 2023; in Long Neck itself the ACS puts it at 1.9%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Long Neck

Ocean View, DE
6.9 mi · 2,636 people · home $514,200
Millsboro, DE
8.3 mi · 6,863 people · home $332,600
Lewes, DE
10.9 mi · 3,303 people · home $826,100
Selbyville, DE
11.4 mi · 2,878 people · home $432,900
Georgetown, DE
13.0 mi · 7,134 people · home $281,400
Milton, DE
13.3 mi · 3,291 people · home $407,000
Ocean Pines, MD
16.4 mi · 12,145 people · home $380,100
Ocean City, MD
16.6 mi · 6,844 people · home $429,000

Long Neck questions

Is Long Neck, Delaware a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Long Neck scores better for retirees than 84% of Delaware towns and quieter than 96%. 56.3% of residents are 65 or older (median age 67.1).

How much does a house cost in Long Neck?

The median owner-occupied home in Long Neck is valued at $187,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $56,745, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is $1,025 a month.

What is the weather like in Long Neck?

July highs average 87.7°F and January lows 30.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 47.3 inches of precipitation a year and 10.5 inches of snow.

Does Long Neck get tornadoes?

11 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Long Neck since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on August 12, 1955. The typical Delaware town has had 13.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Long Neck's Census boundary (GEOID 1043245). Comparisons use the median of Delaware towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.