Here's how unemployment in Sussex County, Delaware compares

Sussex County's unemployment rate in December was 3.9%—ranked #2 highest out of 3 in the state.

Nationally, unemployment has leveled with pre-COVID rates, measuring between 3.5% and 4% for most of the past two years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed a 3.7% unemployment rate in January. Previously, unemployment skyrocketed to 14.7% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, and those rates remained elevated through late 2021.

Though national unemployment has mostly normalized, local economies vary widely. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to analyze unemployment in Sussex County over time, and how it stacks up within Delaware and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Sussex County is 0.2 percentage points above the national level, and 0.3 percentage points below the state level. It ranks #2 among counties in Delaware—ranked first by the preliminary December 2023 unemployment rate, then breaking ties by the number of unemployed people. It trails behind Kent County, with an unemployment rate of 4.1%, but surpasses New Castle County (3.5%).

In real terms, it means an estimated 4,466 of Sussex County's approximately 113,230 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 127 more than last month and 521 fewer than a year ago. Some economists fret another recession may be on the horizon, which would drive unemployment up with business closures and layoffs.

This story was produced using automation across 3,100 counties, boroughs, and parishes, based on writing and data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.