Analysis: IRS audit rate for Sussex County residents is highest in Delaware

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Sussex County residents were audited by the Internal Revenue Service at a greater rate than similar jurisdictions in Delaware, according to an analysis by the website 24/7 Wall St.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the tax return audit rates for more than 3,000 counties, equivalent jurisdictions and independent municipalities in order to pinpoint where audits are most common in each state. Nationally, the IRS audits about 7.7 returns for every 1,000 returns filed, the study said.

The audit rate for filers in Sussex County was 7.4 per 1,000 tax returns.

The poverty rates for 43 out of the 50 jurisdictions listed by 24/7 Wall St. were higher than the state’s overall poverty rate, the analysis found. That goes against common perceptions that wealthier Americans are more often targeted in IRS audits, according to the study.

The analysis pointed to a 2018 report by the nonprofit group ProPublica that found low-income, working-class households claiming the earned income tax credit are disproportionately audited, the study said.

Sussex County has a median household income of $57,901 and a poverty rate of

12.0 percent. The percentage of residents in Sussex County with bachelor’s degrees is 25.1.

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Most Audited Jurisdiction by State

StateCounty / JurisdictionAudits per 1,000 Tax ReturnsMedian Household IncomePoverty RateAdults with a Bachelor's Degree
Alabama Greene County10.9$20,95438.8%11.4%
AlaskaKusilvak Census Area9.4$36,46839.1%4.9%
ArizonaSanta Cruz County10.0$39,63021.8%22.1%
ArkansasPhillips County10.2$26,65233.0%11.3%
CaliforniaImperial County9.7$44,77923.8%14.3%
ColoradoSaguache County9.5$34,76521.0%26.0%
ConnecticutFairfield County8.2$89,7738.8%46.5%
DelawareSussex County7.4$57,90112.0%25.1%
FloridaMiami-Dade County9.1$46,33819.0%27.8%
GeorgiaCalhoun County10.8$29,61732.2%9.4%
HawaiiHawaii County8.1$56,39517.4%28.6%
IdahoButte County9.3$43,20716.2%15.5%
IllinoisAlexander County8.8$31,01433.4%10.7%
IndianaMarion County7.8$44,86919.8%29.7%
IowaRinggold County8.5$50,64210.9%20.1%
KansasSheridan County9.3$56,6074.8%24.6%
KentuckyClay County9.9$24,59639.5%9.5%
LouisianaEast Carroll Parish11.4$20,79548.2%9.8%
MaineWashington County7.9$40,32818.2%20.9%
MarylandBaltimore8.3$46,64122.4%30.4%
MassachusettsNantucket County7.6$91,94211.2%45.1%
MichiganWayne County8.1$43,70223.7%22.8%
MinnesotaMahnomen County8.4$42,43922.7%12.1%
MississippiHumphreys County11.8$26,18840.5%13.6%
MissouriPemiscot County9.5$32,46828.5%12.0%
MontanaBig Horn County9.6$47,27626.8%17.6%
NebraskaGreeley County9.5$47,2189.8%17.3%
NevadaClark County7.7$54,88214.6%23.3%
New HampshireCoos County7.3$45,38613.3%18.3%
New JerseyEssex County8.4$57,36516.7%34.0%
New MexicoMcKinley County10.2$30,33637.5%10.8%
New YorkBronx County9.1$36,59329.7%19.4%
North CarolinaEdgecombe County9.3$32,92924.6%11.6%
North DakotaSioux County9.5$40,79537.1%17.3%
OhioAdams County8.0$36,32023.8%12.1%
OklahomaAdair County9.4$33,36630.8%13.6%
OregonSherman County8.5$42,07413.7%17.6%
PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia County8.4$40,64925.8%27.1%
Rhode IslandProvidence County7.5$52,53016.7%27.8%
South CarolinaAllendale County10.3$23,33130.4%9.4%
South DakotaOglala Lakota County11.2$27,80451.9%12.4%
TennesseeLake County9.3$31,99329.9%9.4%
TexasStarr County10.4$27,13335.0%9.7%
UtahRich County9.0$52,91718.0%22.8%
VermontEssex County8.0$38,76715.5%14.7%
VirginiaEmporia city9.6$27,42630.9%15.3%
WashingtonGarfield County8.4$51,39911.7%23.0%
West VirginiaMcDowell County8.6$25,59534.9%4.9%
WisconsinMenominee County9.2$38,08035.8%15.9%
WyomingNiobrara County8.8$36,79314.9%18.3%
Source: 24/7 Wall St.

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