Sussex County, Delaware

• Aging population: Median age of 52 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

• Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 15,648 workers (29.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $71,935.
• Economic scale: Regional GDP of $23.4B (2024).
• Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $127,187 while Retail Trade averages $38,560, a 3.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.

• Top specialization: Food Manufacturing concentrates at 7.87x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
• Cluster depth: 5 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
• Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.

• In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
• High home ownership: 81.6% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
• Elevated vacancy: 29.9% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
• Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,037/mo).

• Succession risk is real: 31.6% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
• Low participation: 55.5% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
• Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 12,208 annual credentials.

Sussex County shows strong potential for food manufacturing attraction, with a 7.87x concentration and 8,636 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 31.6% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across food manufacturing, furniture, home furnishings, and other retailers, and food and beverage retailers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.