Your parents might be in Delaware
Your parents might be in Delaware
Nick Iluzada
If your parents are introducing more Tommy Bahama into their wardrobe, they may not be thinking of heading south. They are probably going east. As traditional 65+ havens like Arizona and Florida get more expensive, Delaware is catching the eye of many retirees. Delaware’s 65+ crowd has grown more than any other state since 2020, jumping 23%.
It’s not just the miles of sandy beaches attracting Baby Boomers—Delaware is financially attractive because it has no state taxes on social security or a sales tax. Property taxes are also among the lowest in the country, especially compared to neighboring east coast states.
But the rapid growth in areas like the oceanside Sussex County—which has gained more than 40,000 people since 2020—has stretched resources in the once quiet area thin, straining the supply of labor, housing, and healthcare. The traffic can be bad thanks to outdated road systems, doctors appointments take forever to make, and there isn’t enough housing, residents told Bloomberg.
On the plus side, at least 100 new restaurants have opened in the county in the last six years, so there are plenty of dinner options.
Looking ahead…Some businesses are attempting to court younger workers from outside of the region, especially since the number of Sussex County residents aged 80+ is expected to double by 2040, according to Delaware Population Consortium projections.
Nick Iluzada
If your parents are introducing more Tommy Bahama into their wardrobe, they may not be thinking of heading south. They are probably going east. As traditional 65+ havens like Arizona and Florida get more expensive, Delaware is catching the eye of many retirees. Delaware’s 65+ crowd has grown more than any other state since 2020, jumping 23%.
It’s not just the miles of sandy beaches attracting Baby Boomers—Delaware is financially attractive because it has no state taxes on social security or a sales tax. Property taxes are also among the lowest in the country, especially compared to neighboring east coast states.
But the rapid growth in areas like the oceanside Sussex County—which has gained more than 40,000 people since 2020—has stretched resources in the once quiet area thin, straining the supply of labor, housing, and healthcare. The traffic can be bad thanks to outdated road systems, doctors appointments take forever to make, and there isn’t enough housing, residents told Bloomberg.
On the plus side, at least 100 new restaurants have opened in the county in the last six years, so there are plenty of dinner options.
Looking ahead…Some businesses are attempting to court younger workers from outside of the region, especially since the number of Sussex County residents aged 80+ is expected to double by 2040, according to Delaware Population Consortium projections.
