The University of Delaware released a report on Delaware’s coastal economies, which includes towns and cities on the coast like Lewes and Rehoboth Beach and extends to coastal infrastructure zones like Milton and Selbyville.
The report “Seaside to Statewide” found coastal economies support more than 100,000 jobs, including inland jobs in food services, medical care and labor organizations.
James Rising, one of the report’s authors alongside Caitlin Wilson, said maintaining this economy should be top of mind.
“We need to invest in infrastructure,” Rising said. “We need to invest in climate resilience, and that comes back around to the motivation for the report. We want to show how much the coastal economy was providing to the state.”
The report found its GDP increased by 95% since 2011 – five times the rate of the national GDP, which rose by 20%.
Rising and Wilson also found coastal economies are also responsible for $6.5 billion in labor income and more than $10 billion in value added to Delaware’s economy.
“Every dollar spent in the coastal economy is producing additional value across Delaware State. One of the reasons why it makes sense to treat this as a statewide issue or even a region-wide issue is that the coastal economy is deeply tied into the economy of the whole region.”
An aging population and the effects of climate change are two challenges facing Delaware’s currently-booming coastal economy.
The report named environmental risks like sea level rise as a major threat, and Rising added proactive management helps develop resiliency.
Investing in climate resilience includes hard projects – like raising roads and buildings – and soft or nature-based projects, such as expanding open space and restoring wetlands, sand dunes and seagrass beds.
