Loan Limits / Delaware / New Castle County
2026 Loan Limits · Delaware · PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON, PA-NJ-DE-MD
New Castle County, DE.
2026 conforming and FHA loan limits, calibrated to a median sales price of $548,000.
Median Sales Price
$548,000
Per HUD CHUMS, 2026
Conforming 1u Limit
$832,750
Standard conforming
FHA 1u Limit
$630,200
Mid-tier
Jumbo Threshold
> $832,750
1-unit · loans above this are jumbo
Conforming (Fannie / Freddie)
Standard conforming| 1-unit (single-family) | $832,750 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,066,250 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,288,800 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,601,750 |
FHA Forward (203b)
Mid-tier| 1-unit (single-family) | $630,200 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $806,750 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $975,200 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,211,950 |
About this county
About New Castle County
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the state's population of 989,948. The county seat is Wilmington, which is also the state's most populous city. New Castle County is included in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle. New Castle County has the highest population and population density of any Delaware county, and it is the smallest county in the state by area. It has more people than the other two counties, Kent and Sussex, combined. It is also the most economically developed of the three. Read more on Wikipedia →
Population
573,030
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Household Income
$89,901
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Home Value (Census)
$329,800
Owner-occupied · ACS 2023
Owner-Occupancy Rate
69%
Of occupied housing
What these limits mean for buyers in New Castle County
The 2026 conforming 1-unit limit for New Castle County is $832,750. Loans at or below this amount can be sold by the originating lender to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which keeps pricing tight and underwriting consistent. New Castle County uses the standard national conforming baseline.
For FHA financing, the 2026 1-unit limit is $630,200. The HUD CHUMS table pegs the median sales price for New Castle County at $548,000. New Castle County is in HUD's FHA high-cost tier — its limit sits between the national floor of $541,287 and the ceiling of $1,249,125, calculated as 115% of the area median.
Practical takeaway. The median sales price in New Castle County ($548,000) is below both limits — FHA, conventional, and VA financing all cover median-priced purchases here. Choice between programs comes down to credit, down payment, and overlay differences.
How the limits are set
Conforming limits come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which adjusts them each year based on changes in the FHFA Housing Price Index. FHA limits come from HUD: the national floor is $541,287 (65% of conforming baseline), the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150% of conforming baseline), and counties between are calculated as 115% of the area median sales price.
Multi-unit and house-hacking math
New Castle County 2-, 3-, and 4-unit conforming limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, and $1,601,750 respectively. If you're house-hacking — owner-occupying one unit of a 2-4 unit property — these are the limits that matter, and the rental income on the other units can be used to qualify. FHA and VA both finance owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties at their own multi-unit limits.
Limits effective 2026 per HUD CHUMS publication. Sourced GSE and FHA files. Generated 2026-04-26.
Buying in New Castle County?
We'll structure the loan against the right limit and the right program. Conforming, FHA, VA, jumbo — all in-house.