Sussex County, Virginia

County in VA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

10,765

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

40.8

years ∙ half population younger than 40.8, half older

Diversity Index

54%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

99%Native

1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Sussex County is a county in Virginia, United States.

Location

County in VA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC36.926645° N, 77.259732° W

DMS36° 55′ 35.92″ N, 77° 15′ 35.04″ W

Population Density & area

21.96/sq mi (8.48/km²)

Total Area

492.8 sq mi (1,276.4 km²)

Land Area

490.2 sq mi (1,269.7 km²) · 99.47%

Water Area

2.6 sq mi (6.7 km²) · 0.53%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

58.4% male

Male 58.4%

Female 41.6%

males per 100 females

Sussex County 140.5

Virginia 97.6

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

99%Native

1% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Sussex County 1%

Virginia 13.1%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

40.8

years ∙ half population younger than 40.8, half older

Sussex County

40.8

Virginia

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

53.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Sussex County 53.7

Virginia 62.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	15.7%	21.7%	22%
Working age (18-64)	65.1%	61.6%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	19.2%	16.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	53.7	62.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	24.2	35.3	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	29.5	27.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

40.7%

Black

54.1%

Asian

0.5%

Hispanic

1.1%

Other

3.6%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

54%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Sussex County 54%

Virginia 60.6%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Sussex County population

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1.1%	11%	19.3%
Mexican	0.2%	2.4%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.5%	1.4%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.4%	6.9%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	98.9%	89%	80.7%
One race	95.6%	84.3%	76.4%
White	40.7%	58.4%	57.4%
Black or African American	54.1%	18.3%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.1%	0.5%
Asian	0.5%	6.9%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.6%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.3%	4.7%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

65.7% family

Family 65.7%

Non family 34.3%

% family households

Sussex County 65.7%

Virginia 64.8%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.41

persons per household

Sussex County

2.41

Virginia

2.52

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Sussex County population

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Total households	3,785	3,365,732	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.41	2.52	2.53
Family households	2,485	2,181,475	82,990,528
Average family size	2.95	3.11	3.14
Married couple family	1,568	1,638,116	60,637,388
Other families	917	543,359	22,353,140
Male householder	406	154,457	6,572,819
Female householder	511	388,902	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,300	1,184,257	46,236,968
One-person households	1,180	958,467	37,140,836
Male householder	467	417,934	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	173	127,348	5,225,110
Female householder	713	540,533	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	498	258,856	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	120	225,790	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

4,706

housing units

Sussex County 4,706

Virginia 3,684,756

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

80.4% occupied

Occupied 80.4%

Vacant 19.6%

vacancy rate

Sussex County 19.6%

Virginia 8.7%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.3%

Single family houses

75.3%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

6.3%

Mobile homes

18.4%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1979

Half of houses were built before 1979, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

8.5%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

19.4%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

46.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

25.1%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.8	6	5.5
1–3 rooms	4.5%	11.6%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	61.1%	46.2%	51.6%
7+ rooms	34.4%	42.3%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	3%	8.7%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	20.9%	22.3%	25%
3 bedrooms	58.4%	38.4%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	17.7%	28.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1979	1985	1981
Total housing units	4,706	3,684,756	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

69.7% owners

Renter-occupied 30.3%

Owner-occupied 69.7%

homeownership rate

Sussex County 69.7%

Virginia 67.3%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.44

Owner-occupied

2.34

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Sussex County 2.44

Virginia 2.62

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Total occupied units	3,785	3,365,732	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	19.2%	25.7%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	37.9%	38.5%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	13.7%	16.6%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	29.1%	19.1%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.7%	97.9%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	2.1%	1.4%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.2%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	9.2%	6.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	27.8%	31.1%	33.1%
2 vehicles	33.3%	37.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	29.8%	25.5%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	14.5%	36.6%	51.4%
Electricity	74%	57.5%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.2%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	7.9%	3.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	3.6%	1.9%	2%
No fuel used	0%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.2%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.6%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.6%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$183,800

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Sussex County

$183,800

Virginia

$383,700

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

22.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

22.6%

Owners without a mortgage

Renters

56.4%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Property value
Median Value	$183,800	$383,700	$332,700
Under $100,000	23.6%	7.6%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	30.8%	11.5%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	28%	17.2%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	11.2%	29.6%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	4.7%	26.8%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.7%	7.2%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	51.9%	66.9%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	48.1%	33.1%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,409	$2,127	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$447	$589	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$907	$1,579	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

16.5%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Sussex County 16.5%

Virginia 42.2%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

16.1%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Sussex County 16.1%

Virginia 8.4%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,824

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

13.8%

K–12

64.9%

College / Undergraduate

16.6%

Graduate / Professional

4.8%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

17.8%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Sussex County

17.8%

Virginia

42.7%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,824	2,095,439	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	13.8%	5.3%	5.7%
K–12	64.9%	65.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	1.5%	5%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	25.8%	19.4%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	17.8%	20.3%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	19.7%	21.2%	21.7%
College or graduate school	21.3%	28.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	16.6%	21.9%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4.8%	6.9%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	17.8%	42.7%	40.9%
School type
Public school	67%	81%	82%
Private school	33%	19%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

8,134

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

5.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

11%

HS graduate

40.7%

Some college no degree

19.4%

Associates degree

7.3%

Bachelors degree

10.3%

Graduate or professional degree

6.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

74% · 26%

9th-12th, no diploma

64.7% · 35.3%

HS graduate

62.5% · 37.5%

Some college no degree

52.7% · 47.3%

Associates degree

45.3% · 54.7%

Bachelors degree

53.5% · 46.5%

Graduate or professional degree

49.6% · 50.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Population (25+)	8,134	6,007,678	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	5.1%	3.6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	11%	4.8%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	40.7%	23.9%	26%
Some college, no degree	19.4%	17.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	7.3%	7.8%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.5%	42.2%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	10.3%	23.7%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.2%	18.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	83.9%	91.6%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$44,550

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$32,177

HS graduate

$35,772

Some college or associates

$50,431

Bachelors degree

$52,266

Graduate or professional degree

$58,906

Poverty Rate

4.8%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

21.1%

HS graduate

13.4%

Some college or associates

7.3%

Bachelors degree or higher

4.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Sussex County	Virginia	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$44,550	$59,471	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$32,177	$33,905	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$35,772	$41,243	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$50,431	$49,185	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$52,266	$76,425	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$58,906	$102,924	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	21.1%	21.8%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	13.4%	12.6%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	7.3%	8.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	4.8%	3.4%	4.5%

Insights for Sussex County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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