Sussex County vs. Delaware
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Average Earnings Per Job Growth and Change, 1969-2022
Introduction
Sussex County vs. Delaware
Sussex County:
2022 Avg. Earnings = $61,811
2022 Percent of State = 87.50%
Delaware:
2022 Avg. Earnings = $70,645
The United States economy has generated an impressive number of jobs since the 1970s. The contrast between the nation's vigorous employment growth and the modest performance of other major industrial countries is striking. Despite this rosy track record, the real (inflation adjusted) wages and salaries of many workers have stagnated or slipped in recent years. This development has provoked concerns about the quality of new jobs. Structural shifts in the composition of employment--from high-wage goods-producing to low-wage services-related sectors--is the culprit most often cited for the deteriorating quality of jobs.
Regions vary greatly in the make-up of their labor force, in their industry composition of employment, and their economic experience. Reviewing and examining recent developments in average earnings per job in Sussex County with comparisons to Delaware and the nation is an important first step in understanding the economic forces at play in Sussex County.
Discussion: Average Annual Earnings Per Job are computed by dividing BEA total industry earnings estimates by the BEA total full- and part-time jobs estimates. No convenient or adequate means exist at the county or regional level for converting the job estimates to a full-time equivalent measure. So, interpret the average earnings per job estimates with caution in consideration of the following issues:
Average earnings per job within industries involving more part-time work is lower than industries involving more full-time work, although there could be little difference in the underlying wage of full-time workers. Such differences could also prevail between counties and regions. An increase in the proportion of part-time jobs over time may erode average earnings per job estimates, although full-time earnings per worker may have remained unchanged.
As with per capita income, average earnings per job may be subject to extreme short-run variation, especially in smaller counties. Major construction projects relating to building dams, nuclear power plants, and private plant construction projects have caused extreme fluctuations in many smaller counties. Such changes typify both small and large agriculture-dependent counties owing to the extreme annual variations in farm incomes. Also, Since average earnings per job are just a simple average, it does not account for variations in the distribution of earnings among high- vs. low-wage jobs.
Sussex County Average Earnings Per Job, 1970-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Sussex County Average Earnings Per Job, 1970-2022
Current vs. Constant Dollars
Figure 1.
Figure 1 depicts Sussex County's annual average earnings per job over 1970-2022 in current and constant (2017) dollars. Constant dollar measurements remove the effects of inflation. They allow for comparison of changes in the real purchasing power of Sussex County over time.
When measured in current dollars, Sussex County's average earnings per job increased 1,003.36%, from $5,602 in 1970 to $61,811 in 2022. When measured in constant 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, it advanced 87.94%, from $28,342 in 1970 to $53,266 in 2022.
Real Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
Real Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 tracks Sussex County's and Delaware's annual real average earnings per job for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate real average earnings per job patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Sussex County's real average earnings per job rose from $30,618 in 1969 to $53,266 in 2022, for a net gain of $22,647, or 73.97%. In comparison, Delaware's real average earnings per job increased from $40,222 in 1969 to $60,878 in 2022, for a net advance of $20,656, or 51.35%.
Real Average Earnings Per Job Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Real Average Earnings Per Job Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 shows Sussex County's real average earnings per job growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Delaware, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's real average earnings per job in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the real average earnings per jobs in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in real average earnings per job growth between regions that may differ vastly in size.
Sussex County's overall real average earnings per job growth was 73.97% over 1969-2022 outpaced Delaware's increase of 51.35%, and outpaced the United States' increase of 62.26%.
Average Earnings Per Job as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022
Average Earnings Per Job as a Percent of the U.S. Average: 1969-2022
Figure 4.
Figure 4 displays the trends for average earnings per job relative to the national average by tracing Sussex County and Delaware average earnings per job as a percent of the national average over 1969-2022.
In 1969, Sussex County's average earnings per job amounted to 80.54% of the national average; in 2022, it approximated 86.34%. Similarly, in 1969, Delaware's average earnings per job totaled 105.80% of the national average; in 2022, it consisted of 98.68%.
Sussex County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Sussex County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Figure 5.
Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Sussex County's real average earnings per job growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also traced on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average.
On average, Sussex County's real average earnings per job grew at an annual rate of 1.15% over 1970-2022. The county recorded its highest growth in 1973 (11.52%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1974 (-8.83%). In 2022, Sussex County's real average earnings per job grew by 2.12%
Sussex County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Sussex County Real Average Earnings Per Job:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Figure 6.
Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again illustrates the annual percent change in Sussex County's real average earnings per job since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022.
During the 1970s, Sussex County's annual real average earnings per job growth rate averaged 0.50%. It averaged 1.41% in the 1980s, 1.47% throughout the 1990s, 0.61% throughout the 2000s, 1.51% in the 2010s, 1.95% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Real Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Real Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 7.
Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Sussex County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Delaware and the nation. As the chart reveals, Sussex County's average annual real average earnings per job growth fell below Delaware's average in the 1970s (0.50% vs. 0.98%), surpassed Delaware's average during the 1980s (1.41% vs. 0.71%), amounted to less than Delaware's average throughout the 1990s (1.47% vs. 2.10%), exceeded Delaware's average in the 2000s (0.61% vs. 0.42%), led Delaware's average throughout the 2010s (1.51% vs. 0.25%), and led Delaware's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (1.95% vs. -0.46%).
Finally, relative to nationwide real average earnings per job growth trends, Sussex County fell under the nation over the 1970s (0.50% vs. 0.89%), exceeded the nation over the 1980s (1.41% vs. 0.71%), recorded underneath the nation throughout the 1990s (1.47% vs. 1.68%), fell under the nation in the 2000s (0.61% vs. 0.72%), outperformed the nation in the 2010s (1.51% vs. 1.01%), and recorded above the nation over 2020-2022 (1.95% vs. -0.24%).
   
 
Real* Average Earnings Per Job Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
1.15
0.50
1.41
1.47
0.61
1.51
1.95
2.12
 
0.82
0.98
0.71
2.10
0.42
0.25
-0.46
1.53
 
0.93
0.89
0.71
1.68
0.72
1.01
-0.24
-4.51
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Sussex County:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
5,782
0.189
30,618
100.0
N
76.12
80.54
1970
 
5,602
0.198
28,342
92.6
-7.43
70.87
73.75
1971
 
6,037
0.206
29,298
95.7
3.37
70.52
74.50
1972
 
6,620
0.213
31,067
101.5
6.04
72.73
76.17
1973
 
7,780
0.225
34,645
113.2
11.52
78.88
83.33
1974
 
7,831
0.248
31,588
103.2
-8.83
73.54
78.88
1975
 
9,042
0.269
33,662
109.9
6.57
77.50
84.40
1976
 
9,551
0.283
33,709
110.1
0.14
75.79
82.70
1977
 
9,907
0.302
32,832
107.2
-2.60
73.59
79.82
1978
 
10,579
0.323
32,778
107.1
-0.17
72.68
78.61
1979
 
11,102
0.351
31,590
103.2
-3.62
71.34
76.20
1980
 
11,665
0.389
29,965
97.9
-5.14
68.20
74.50
1981
 
12,612
0.424
29,735
97.1
-0.77
68.71
73.90
1982
 
13,668
0.448
30,528
99.7
2.67
69.66
75.98
1983
 
14,510
0.467
31,086
101.5
1.83
70.44
76.69
1984
 
15,450
0.484
31,896
104.2
2.61
71.21
76.56
1985
 
16,281
0.501
32,479
106.1
1.83
72.02
77.05
1986
 
17,661
0.512
34,481
112.6
6.16
76.21
79.99
1987
 
18,303
0.528
34,663
113.2
0.53
75.39
79.14
1988
 
19,496
0.549
35,535
116.1
2.51
76.17
79.88
1989
 
20,728
0.573
36,200
118.2
1.87
76.17
81.42
1990
 
20,729
0.598
34,678
113.3
-4.20
73.16
77.93
1991
 
21,524
0.618
34,844
113.8
0.48
71.76
78.17
1992
 
22,563
0.634
35,577
116.2
2.11
71.71
76.80
1993
 
22,828
0.650
35,120
114.7
-1.28
71.86
75.84
1994
 
23,772
0.664
35,825
117.0
2.01
72.13
76.91
1995
 
23,266
0.678
34,339
112.2
-4.15
70.01
73.61
1996
 
24,140
0.692
34,882
113.9
1.58
69.72
73.57
1997
 
24,904
0.704
35,372
115.5
1.40
69.15
72.78
1998
 
27,680
0.710
39,004
127.4
10.27
70.91
76.87
1999
 
29,910
0.720
41,541
135.7
6.50
71.25
79.23
2000
 
31,482
0.738
42,646
139.3
2.66
70.39
78.90
2001
 
34,279
0.753
45,522
148.7
6.74
68.73
82.65
2002
 
33,988
0.763
44,551
145.5
-2.13
66.03
80.15
2003
 
37,228
0.779
47,793
156.1
7.28
71.46
85.28
2004
 
40,541
0.798
50,786
165.9
6.26
77.39
89.19
2005
 
40,294
0.821
49,063
160.2
-3.39
76.70
86.38
2006
 
40,172
0.844
47,575
155.4
-3.03
74.13
82.93
2007
 
39,434
0.866
45,532
148.7
-4.30
72.93
79.85
2008
 
39,837
0.892
44,676
145.9
-1.88
75.67
79.20
2009
 
38,873
0.889
43,716
142.8
-2.15
72.46
77.68
2010
 
38,676
0.905
42,729
139.6
-2.26
70.79
74.10
2011
 
39,076
0.928
42,106
137.5
-1.46
67.97
72.86
2012
 
41,077
0.945
43,452
141.9
3.20
71.97
74.60
2013
 
44,755
0.958
46,726
152.6
7.53
78.51
80.15
2014
 
46,133
0.971
47,501
155.1
1.66
79.23
80.95
2015
 
50,562
0.973
51,965
169.7
9.40
84.79
87.17
2016
 
48,022
0.983
48,861
159.6
-5.97
81.38
82.12
2017
 
47,242
1.000
47,242
154.3
-3.31
77.54
78.31
2018
 
49,712
1.020
48,714
159.1
3.12
78.45
80.05
2019
 
52,062
1.035
50,295
164.3
3.24
81.43
80.82
2020
 
52,393
1.046
50,072
163.5
-0.44
80.87
77.76
2021
 
56,853
1.090
52,159
170.4
4.17
86.99
80.73
2022
 
61,811
1.160
53,266
174.0
2.12
87.50
86.34
Source: Calculations by the Delaware Regional Economic Analysis Project (DE-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Delaware:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
7,595
0.189
40,222
100.0
N
105.80
1970
 
7,905
0.198
39,991
99.4
-0.58
104.06
1971
 
8,560
0.206
41,544
103.3
3.88
105.64
1972
 
9,102
0.213
42,715
106.2
2.82
104.73
1973
 
9,863
0.225
43,924
109.2
2.83
105.64
1974
 
10,649
0.248
42,953
106.8
-2.21
107.27
1975
 
11,666
0.269
43,433
108.0
1.12
108.90
1976
 
12,601
0.283
44,476
110.6
2.40
109.11
1977
 
13,463
0.302
44,613
110.9
0.31
108.47
1978
 
14,556
0.323
45,098
112.1
1.09
108.16
1979
 
15,561
0.351
44,280
110.1
-1.81
106.82
1980
 
17,103
0.389
43,935
109.2
-0.78
109.24
1981
 
18,356
0.424
43,277
107.6
-1.50
107.56
1982
 
19,620
0.448
43,822
108.9
1.26
109.06
1983
 
20,598
0.467
44,129
109.7
0.70
108.87
1984
 
21,698
0.484
44,794
111.4
1.51
107.51
1985
 
22,606
0.501
45,097
112.1
0.68
106.99
1986
 
23,173
0.512
45,244
112.5
0.33
104.96
1987
 
24,277
0.528
45,977
114.3
1.62
104.97
1988
 
25,595
0.549
46,651
116.0
1.47
104.87
1989
 
27,212
0.573
47,522
118.1
1.87
106.88
1990
 
28,333
0.598
47,400
117.8
-0.26
106.52
1991
 
29,993
0.618
48,553
120.7
2.43
108.92
1992
 
31,467
0.634
49,616
123.4
2.19
107.11
1993
 
31,767
0.650
48,873
121.5
-1.50
105.54
1994
 
32,957
0.664
49,667
123.5
1.63
106.63
1995
 
33,232
0.678
49,048
121.9
-1.25
105.15
1996
 
34,626
0.692
50,036
124.4
2.01
105.53
1997
 
36,017
0.704
51,155
127.2
2.24
105.26
1998
 
39,035
0.710
55,004
136.8
7.52
108.40
1999
 
41,981
0.720
58,305
145.0
6.00
111.20
2000
 
44,728
0.738
60,589
150.6
3.92
112.09
2001
 
49,876
0.753
66,234
164.7
9.32
120.25
2002
 
51,471
0.763
67,466
167.7
1.86
121.38
2003
 
52,094
0.779
66,878
166.3
-0.87
119.33
2004
 
52,385
0.798
65,624
163.2
-1.88
115.24
2005
 
52,537
0.821
63,970
159.0
-2.52
112.62
2006
 
54,189
0.844
64,175
159.6
0.32
111.87
2007
 
54,070
0.866
62,431
155.2
-2.72
109.49
2008
 
52,649
0.892
59,043
146.8
-5.43
104.67
2009
 
53,644
0.889
60,328
150.0
2.18
107.20
2010
 
54,634
0.905
60,360
150.1
0.05
104.68
2011
 
57,487
0.928
61,944
154.0
2.63
107.18
2012
 
57,072
0.945
60,372
150.1
-2.54
103.65
2013
 
57,006
0.958
59,517
148.0
-1.42
102.09
2014
 
58,229
0.971
59,955
149.1
0.74
102.17
2015
 
59,632
0.973
61,288
152.4
2.22
102.81
2016
 
59,013
0.983
60,043
149.3
-2.03
100.91
2017
 
60,924
1.000
60,924
151.5
1.47
100.99
2018
 
63,370
1.020
62,099
154.4
1.93
102.04
2019
 
63,936
1.035
61,766
153.6
-0.54
99.25
2020
 
64,789
1.046
61,919
153.9
0.25
96.16
2021
 
65,360
1.090
59,963
149.1
-3.16
92.81
2022
 
70,645
1.160
60,878
151.4
1.53
98.68
Source: Calculations by the Delaware Regional Economic Analysis Project (DE-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
United States:
Average Earnings Per Job, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
7,179
0.189
38,018
100.0
N
1970
 
7,596
0.198
38,430
101.1
1.08
1971
 
8,103
0.206
39,326
103.4
2.33
1972
 
8,691
0.213
40,786
107.3
3.71
1973
 
9,336
0.225
41,579
109.4
1.94
1974
 
9,928
0.248
40,044
105.3
-3.69
1975
 
10,713
0.269
39,883
104.9
-0.40
1976
 
11,549
0.283
40,761
107.2
2.20
1977
 
12,412
0.302
41,131
108.2
0.91
1978
 
13,457
0.323
41,694
109.7
1.37
1979
 
14,568
0.351
41,454
109.0
-0.58
1980
 
15,657
0.389
40,220
105.8
-2.98
1981
 
17,066
0.424
40,237
105.8
0.04
1982
 
17,989
0.448
40,181
105.7
-0.14
1983
 
18,920
0.467
40,535
106.6
0.88
1984
 
20,181
0.484
41,663
109.6
2.78
1985
 
21,130
0.501
42,152
110.9
1.17
1986
 
22,078
0.512
43,104
113.4
2.26
1987
 
23,126
0.528
43,799
115.2
1.61
1988
 
24,408
0.549
44,487
117.0
1.57
1989
 
25,460
0.573
44,462
117.0
-0.05
1990
 
26,599
0.598
44,498
117.0
0.08
1991
 
27,537
0.618
44,577
117.3
0.18
1992
 
29,378
0.634
46,323
121.8
3.92
1993
 
30,101
0.650
46,309
121.8
-0.03
1994
 
30,909
0.664
46,580
122.5
0.59
1995
 
31,605
0.678
46,646
122.7
0.14
1996
 
32,810
0.692
47,411
124.7
1.64
1997
 
34,218
0.704
48,600
127.8
2.51
1998
 
36,011
0.710
50,743
133.5
4.41
1999
 
37,751
0.720
52,432
137.9
3.33
2000
 
39,903
0.738
54,053
142.2
3.09
2001
 
41,477
0.753
55,080
144.9
1.90
2002
 
42,406
0.763
55,584
146.2
0.92
2003
 
43,655
0.779
56,045
147.4
0.83
2004
 
45,456
0.798
56,943
149.8
1.60
2005
 
46,648
0.821
56,800
149.4
-0.25
2006
 
48,442
0.844
57,368
150.9
1.00
2007
 
49,382
0.866
57,019
150.0
-0.61
2008
 
50,298
0.892
56,407
148.4
-1.07
2009
 
50,041
0.889
56,276
148.0
-0.23
2010
 
52,191
0.905
57,661
151.7
2.46
2011
 
53,633
0.928
57,792
152.0
0.23
2012
 
55,061
0.945
58,245
153.2
0.78
2013
 
55,837
0.958
58,296
153.3
0.09
2014
 
56,990
0.971
58,680
154.3
0.66
2015
 
58,005
0.973
59,615
156.8
1.59
2016
 
58,480
0.983
59,501
156.5
-0.19
2017
 
60,329
1.000
60,329
158.7
1.39
2018
 
62,102
1.020
60,856
160.1
0.87
2019
 
64,419
1.035
62,233
163.7
2.26
2020
 
67,378
1.046
64,393
169.4
3.47
2021
 
70,421
1.090
64,606
169.9
0.33
2022
 
71,586
1.160
61,690
162.3
-4.51
Source: Calculations by the Delaware Regional Economic Analysis Project (DE-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1400_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

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To offer the most comprehensive set of interactive options in support of your research, DE-REAP calculates and crunches most of the data and generates the narrative and graphic analysis on demand in response to your request.
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