Sussex County has seen a clear decade of growth

In the two months Andrew Harton has been Sussex County’s economic development director, he said he already knows at least one thing – it doesn’t take an economic developer to know Sussex County is experiencing growth.

All someone has to do is just drive around, he said at the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce’s monthly membership luncheon Oct. 8.

The luncheon was Harton’s first time addressing the chamber. It was more of a get-to-know-me situation, but he did come prepared with statistics and examples showing how Sussex County’s economy has grown over the past decade.

Sussex’s population is about 270,000 and has seen almost a 30% increase over the past 10 years. In that same time, New Castle County has seen an increase of a little less than 7% and Kent County a little more than 12%, he said.

In addition to population growth, Sussex’s median age is also significantly higher than the other two counties. Harton said Sussex has a median age of 51.4, while New Castle’s is 39.2 and Kent’s is 38.5.

However, in terms of median household income, New Castle comes highest at about $90,000, Sussex is second at a little more than $78,000 and Kent comes in at a little less than $73,000.

That’s where Harton comes in. His top three priorities are job creation, job retention and corporate investment, he said.

Outreach to small business owners is another top priority. Harton said his office can help with expediting projects, navigating red tape and connecting with partners. If a business is trying to expand and there’s some kind of roadblock, call his office and they can help, he said.

As of August, said Harton, the county’s unemployment rate is 4.4%, and Sussex has seen the highest job growth rate of all three counties.

Sussex County was the only county with no industry job losses in 2023 and 2024, said Harton. The manufacturing industry had the highest job gains, he said.

Since 2004, Sussex’s percentage share of the state’s gross domestic product has grown from 14% to 20%, while New Castle’s has dropped from 76% to 70%. Kent’s stayed even at 10%, he said.

Key industries in Sussex include agriculture, tourism, healthcare and manufacturing, said Harton. It can’t be overstated how important the poultry industry remains for Sussex County, he said.

“Almost everything growing out in the farm fields is for the poultry industry. It’s its own entire ecosystem,” said Harton.

The healthcare industry is the county’s largest employer and continues to see growth, he said.

Harton is from New Castle County, but grew up going to the state’s beaches for family trips. Delaware’s beaches have been near and dear to him for a long time, he said.

Harton cut his teeth in the business world with craft beer, but he didn’t talk too much about that experience. Every time it gets brought up, all the questions are about that, he said, laughing.

“Craft beer is cool and interesting, but economic development is cool and interesting too,” said Harton.