DELAWARE -Â The census numbers are in and Delaware is the only state where every county is growing, with Sussex county leading the way. Local realtors and tourism experts show WRDE why people are flocking to the First State and why the growth is expected to continue.
The census shows that Delaware is still short of 1 million people but according to experts the COVID-19 pandemic could have resulted in an undercounting of people living in hard-to-reach communities such as Wilmington and Georgetown.
The First State is growing and gaining more interest by the day. After the latest census survey showed a 10 percent increase in population.
James Harmon lives in Seaford and says he grew up in Sussex county. He says the news doesn't surprise him.
"There are no beaches like Delaware, it's very historical," said Harmon.
Jay Lesko with Iron Valley Real Estate says the pandemic could play a role in the population increase. But there are several other reasons why the First State is gaining so much interest.
"Delaware ranks as the 7th lowest in property taxes in the United States with an effective tax rate of roughly between .5 and .6 percent of the price. When you compare that with some of the other markets out of state such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey specifically when buyers come down and hear these really low property tax rates they're just blown away by that," explained Lesko.Â
Lesko adds that more housing is needed to meet the demand.
"The growth rate every year Sussex county is adding 10,000 new residents and that trend has been continuing for every 3-4 years so really we could look at the past data because data in our mind kind of dictates or predicts the future and if that rate continues we're just going to see another 100,000 people living in Sussex county," added Lesko.
Experts say the increase in population has also boosted tourism and the economy.
"Delaware as a whole has attracted...we've increased visitation by more than 3 million visitors, on the last count it was about 10.4 million to the state and certainly a lot of that to Sussex county and all of that does really well for the economy," said Scott Thomas with Southern Delaware Tourism.
Attracting younger crowds who want to find work and stay here.
"Delaware is going toward the right direction by being more diverse cause we're known for being more retirement type of place but now we're trying to get to young people...we're about to build an Amazon in Seaford," added Harmon.
Experts have reason to believe that Delaware will continue to grow for years to come and Delawareans will have to wait for the next census counting to see if the landmark number of one million residents is met.
