Center for Analysis of Delaware's Economy & Government Spending

The Center's mission is critically important to Delaware because state policies continue to be an unfortunate catalyst for the clear decline of Delaware’s economy for far too long. For instance…

Over the past 20 years, Delaware’s per capita income has gone from the highest in the nation to below the national average.

According to the Delaware Department of Labor, employment is projected to grow at only 0.5% over the next decade, thereby trailing most of the nation.

Since 2009, Delaware has had five recessions compared to one in the rest of the country.

Including the variable Gross Receipts Tax, small business owners in Delaware often pay the highest personal income tax rates in America.

In partnership with other like-minded Delaware organizations, the primary goals of this Center are to develop bi-partisan strategies and alternative policy options that will bring transparency, regulatory reform, and improved effectiveness to the tens of billions of dollars spent by the State every year.

Delawares Census Lag | 11/28/2018

Delaware lags behind its neighbors and the national in its 2010 Census mail participation rate. This appears to be a repeat of the under participation that occurred in the 2000 Census. Currently, Delawares participation rate is 65%, compared to the national average of 68%. For the 2000 Census, D...

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The Stimulus That Isnt | 11/28/2018

Delaware was awarded $1.463 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. After a year, almost 22% of the three-year stimulus money has been spent. The impact on Delawares economy has been and will remain minimal. The primary purpose of this Act is to maintain government at the expense o...

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Delaware: A State of Opportunity? | 11/28/2018

Over recent decades the performance of Delawares economy has steadily deteriorated. Growth in output, income and jobs has slowed, converging on the national average. Slower growth diminishes opportunities for all of Delawares citizens. The contention of this report is that providing increased opp...

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Public School Expenditures | 11/28/2018

According to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (fiscal year 2006), Delaware ranks high on expenditures per student (8th among all states and the District of Columbia) and in the middle of the pack on test scores for reading and math.
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Solid Waste Spending in DE | 11/28/2018

Our comparisons of per capita costs for solid waste handling with other states showed Delaware was 159% higher
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A Backdoor Sales Tax? | 11/28/2018

How will the new fee levied on glass containers affect Delawares gross receipts revenue?
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The Sun Also Rises | 11/28/2018

Various signs point to the beginning of the recovery in Delawares economy. The road back, however, is steep. Among the indicators of revival, the monthly change in Delawares leading economic indicator has finally turned positive, joining Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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Mostly Good News! | 11/28/2018

Fridays data release by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Delawares unemployment rate dropping from 9.0% in April to 8.8% in May. This is the second month the First States unemployment rate has declined since hitting the recession peak of 9.2%.
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Casinos in Delaware | 11/28/2018

In 1994 the State of Delaware made a successful bet on legalized gambling. Legislation authorized three horse racing tracks (now racinos) to build casinos for slot machines, which the State designated as video lottery terminals due to constitutional restrictions. Operations began in 1995 and revenue...

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Should affluent seniors be full taxpaying citizens? | 11/28/2018

Should all households of similar income in Delaware be taxed the same?
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