ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Kent County, Delaware

FIPS 10001 · Dover, DE · Population 187,604
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$74,477
Median Income
$80,734 national
5.3%
Unemployment
4% national
$11.7B
GDP
27.5%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$74,477
Per Capita
$36,191
Mean Household
$92,801
Poverty Rate
10.6%
Median Income Comparison
Kent County$74,477
Delaware$84,954
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 18.3% (34,294 residents) 55-64: 12.8% (23,928 residents) 35-54: 23.3% (43,707 residents) 18-34: 22.9% (42,954 residents) Under 18: 22.8% (42,721 residents) 39 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.8%
18-34 · 22.9%
35-54 · 23.3%
55-64 · 12.8%
65+ · 18.3%
Race & Ethnicity
White58.1%
Black or African American27%
Asian2.5%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)8.1%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.4 pts
27.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 8.2 pts
11.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.0 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
187,604
Population
93,050
Labor Force
Employed
85,181
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
5.3% ▲ +1.0 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.7%
Key Takeaways
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 8.2 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$11.7B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Kent County, Delaware, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Retail Trade
8,180 42.2%
$40,547
2Administrative and Support and Waste Management
3,182 16.4%
$60,652
3Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
2,863 14.8%
$85,163
4Transportation and Warehousing
2,610 13.5%
$60,426
5Finance and Insurance
2,199 11.4%
$96,090
6Management of Companies and Enterprises
327 1.7%
$134,258
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 8,180 workers (42.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $40,547.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $11.7B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $134,258 while Retail Trade averages $40,547, a 3.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
General Merchandise Retailers
1.53x
2,247

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
2,247
Cluster Employment
1.53x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
General Merchandise Retailers
1.53x 2,247

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.28x
Management of Companies and Enterprises
327 employed
0.30x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
121 employed
0.36x
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
54 employed
0.49x
Truck Transportation
330 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: General Merchandise Retailers concentrates at 1.53x the national norm.
  • Attraction whitespace: 6 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Kent County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$316,600
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,354
Rent/Mo
72.5%
Owner-Occ
6.4%
Vacancy
4.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,158/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,165/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,470/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,044/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,285/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,862/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • High home ownership: 72.5% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,862/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
110,589
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.7%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.3%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 64.2% of working-age population (18-64) 64% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
27.5%
HS Diploma+
91%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
13,851/yr
University of Delaware 6,477/yr
Wilmington University 3,732/yr
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry 1,999/yr
Delaware State University 929/yr
Goldey-Beacom College 360/yr
Dawn Career Institute LLC 354/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.6%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
37.3%
Service
18.2%
Sales & Office
19.7%
Construction / Maint.
9.5%
Production / Transport
15.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 85,181 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 12,208 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Kent County shows emerging potential for general merchandise retailers attraction, with a 1.53x concentration and 2,247 jobs in this sub-sector.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Kent County, Delaware, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Kent County, Delaware?

187,604 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Kent County, Delaware?

$74,477 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Kent County, Delaware?

5.3% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Kent County, Delaware?

$11.7B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).