In the United States, a large number of Baby Boomers are fleeing high-tax cities and heading towards the East Coast state of Delaware. This wave of migration is not only limited to the retirement population but is also changing the local real estate landscape and the use of surrounding farmland.
According to the New York Post, Sussex County in Delaware has seen over 40,000 new residents move in since 2020, with a population growth of 17%, about five times the national average growth rate. During the same period, the number of residents over the age of 65 in the county has increased by 23%, leading the nation in growth rate.
The attraction of low property taxes, no state sales tax, and a coastal location has been drawing residents from New York, New Jersey, and even Pennsylvania to relocate southward.
One such couple who made the move is Maggie Dominici, 64, and Vince Dominici, 70, from Pennsylvania. In July 2020, while looking for a beachfront vacation home, they discovered Bethany Beach in Delaware. They bought a house there in September of the same year and completed the transaction in November. Currently, Vince resides full-time in Delaware while Maggie commutes between Bethany Beach and their home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Their son, Devon Dominici, stayed at his parents’ beachfront residence during the pandemic for remote work. Later on, he built a four-bedroom home about 2 miles from Bethany Beach in Ocean View. The property’s ownership transfer was completed in April 2023 for nearly $600,000, with a bank valuation in May showing a 39% increase over construction cost.
Real estate agent Jen Barrows mentioned that the typical budget of retired buyers she handles is between $400,000 and $800,000. Despite some sellers in areas of New York being able to sell their homes for over a million dollars, many prefer not to invest all their proceeds into a new home and opt to seek communities inland with better pricing advantages.
Both Barrows and realtor Lee Ann Wilkinson highlighted Milton as one of the towns with the best cost-effectiveness, offering a historical district, library, theater, and amenities like the nearby Dogfish Head brewery.
According to real estate platform Redfin data as of August 2026, the median house sale price in Milton was around $439,000 over the past three months, compared to approximately $774,000 in Lewes, $859,000 in Bethany Beach, and $909,000 in Rehoboth Beach.
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) housing price index reported a cumulative 57% increase in property prices in Sussex County from 2020 to 2025; however, recent growth has slowed. Redfin data indicates that the median house sale price in Sussex County was around $439,000 in August 2026, a 1.9% decrease from the same period in 2025.
Former New York City police officer and current flight attendant Diana Rohan and her retired NYPD husband purchased a townhouse in Delaware approximately five years ago, having previously owned a second home in North Carolina. Rohan stated that their annual property tax in Delaware is only $1,071, significantly lower than the nearly $17,000 in property tax and school district taxes they faced annually in New York.
The rapid population growth in the area also brings corresponding pressures. Residents of Sussex County complained about increasing traffic around the beach areas and a tightening of medical resources for services like healthcare and dentistry.
Maggie and Vince Dominici were able to arrange medical appointments for Vince through private channels, yet even with this, appointments scheduled in April were only available in February of the following year. Rohan also mentioned that many farmlands are being converted into residential development land. Despite this, several interviewees noted that places like Bethany Beach retain a sense of community with restrictions on building heights, noise, and late-night activities, which is a reason for many to continue to stay.