Spotlight on Cape May County

Overview and Geographic Background

Cape May County is New Jersey’s southernmost county and has a combined 620.42 miles of land and water area. It has a land area of 251.43 square miles and a very flat geography, located on a peninsula that sits on the Delaware Bay. The lowest point is at sea level, while the highest point is in Belleplain State Forest, which is in the northern part of the county.

Cape May enjoys milder winters than most of the state, as well as cooler temperatures in the summer months. Its climate is suited for growing a number of different plants, as well as wine grapes. Several vineyards and wineries operate within the county, and this industry has shown significant growth in recent years, leading to the replacement of the once flourishing lima bean industry. Cape May is the home to Cape May Winery and Vineyards, which is one of the largest in the state, having 25 acres of grapes under cultivation and producing 11,000 cases of wine per year.

Cape May County has a total of 16 municipalities, broken down as follows: 7 boroughs, 5 cities, and 4 townships. The highest populated municipality is Lower Township (22,739) and the lowest populated municipality is Cape May Point (120). The county seat is Cape May Court House, which is an unincorporated community located in Middle Township. As of the 2010 Census, the population of Cape May County was 97,265. The most recent population estimate for 2012 was 96,304, representing a 1% loss in population. This demonstrates a continuing trend in population loss for Cape May County, which experienced an approximately 6% loss in population from 2000 to 2010, even while other South Jersey Counties were experiencing population growth.

There are many factors that play a role in the population trend. As the housing market increased in the early 2000s, people built larger summer homes instead of smaller family homes. Consequently, most homeowners within the county are second homeowners with vacation properties, not looking to relocate with their families into the county. Also, the county is heavily dependent on its seasonal economy, which brings a very heavy population during the summer, but leaves a sparse population during the winter months. In addition to the transitional nature of the county’s population, an absence of well-paying jobs has contributed to the demographic change. Most of the jobs available are within the leisure and hospitality industry and do not pay very high wages, which makes it difficult for workers to afford homes within the county.

Cape May County also has an increasingly aging population. As residents continue to age and retire, they have been leaving to go to other areas. Furthermore, there are not enough younger residents moving in to replace those that are leaving. The recent economic recession may also contribute to the population decline in the county. According to the 2012 American Community Survey the median value of owner-occupied homes in the county is $305,900.

Government and Politics

Cape May County is governed by a five member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected from the population in at-large elections, each of whom serves staggered three year terms. The current membership of the Freeholder Board include: Gerald M. Thornton (Chairmen), Leonard C. Desiderio (Vice Chairmen), Kristine Gabor, E. Marie Hayes, and Will Morey. There are also three constitutional officers, Sherriff Gary G. Shafer, Surrogate M. Susan Sheppard, and Clerk Rita Marie Fulginiti.

At the federal level Cape May County falls in the 2nd Congressional District, and is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R). At the state level, Cape May falls completely in the 1st Legislative District, which is currently represented by Assemblymen Bob Adrzejczak (D), Samuel L. Fiocchi (R) and Democratic State Senator Cape May County Voter Registration Jeff Van Drew.

Although New Jersey is considered a blue state, Cape 40.0% 39.8% May County is a red county. The county tends to UNA vote Republican in state and national elections. For 20.2% Democrat example, in the 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial Republican election, Republican Chris Christie earned 54% of the vote within the county, about 16 percentage points more than Democrat John Corzine. Similarly, in the

Source: Statewide Voter Registration Summary. Nj Division of Elections 2012 Presidential Election, Mitt Romney (R) received about 54% of the vote in the county, while President Barack Obama (D) got 45% vote. The largest percentage of registered voters in Cape May County are Republican, followed very closely by Un-affiliated voters. As the pie chart to the left displays, Republican voters outnumber Democrats by a 2 to 1 margin in the county.

Economy, Industries, and Employment

Cape May County had an unemployment rate higher than the state overall in 2012: 13.4% vs. 9.5%. The higher rate of unemployment continued in 2013, although it has declined in recent months. The following graph demonstrates the trend in the 2013 unemployment rate from January to July in Cape May County and New Jersey.

Source: NJLWD, Labor Force and Unemployment Rate Total private sector employment was greatly impacted due to the recession. However, the share of private sector employment in Cape May County remained greater than the share of private sector employment for the state at the height of the recession. For 2012, the top 5 employment sectors were Education and

Top Employment Sectors Finance and insurance, and real estate and Arts, rental and leasing entertainment, 9% and recreation, other and 37% accommodation and food services 18%

Educational services, and Retail trade health care and 13% social assistance 23%

Healthcare Services and Social Assistance, Arts Entertainment and Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services, Retail Trade, and Finance and Insurance, Real Estate and Rental and Leasing. It is projected that from 2010 – 2020 employment will grow in Cape May County by 4.2%. This is lower than the projected growth across the state, which is 7.7%. Education and Health Services and Professional and Business Services are projected to be the fastest growing employment sectors over the same period.

Educational Attainment and Achievement

In Cape May County, 88.9% of the population age 25 and over have a high school diploma or higher, a number that slightly higher than the state’s 88.3%. However, only 30.7% of the population has a BA or higher, which is approximately 6 percentage points lower than the states bachelor’s degree or higher level of achievement.

Education Attainment: Population 25 years of age and older % High School (or % Bachelor Degree % of Population 25 Place Equivalent) or higher or higher years of age and older Cape May County 88.9 30.7 74 SJ 7 Counties Avg. 86.1 26 68.5 New Jersey 88.3 36.2 68.2

Cape May County has five public high schools. The chart below displays the results of Language Arts and Math sections of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) test. The statewide percentile rank indicates how the school’s proficiency compares with other schools across the state. For example, in Language Arts, Ocean City High has a proficiency rate higher than 45% of all schools across the state with HSPA scores.

HSPA Language Arts/Mathematics 2011-2012

Proficiency or Higher State Proficiency or State High School Name in Language Arts Rank Higher in Math Rank Cape May County Tech 100.0% 100.0% 95.5% 86.0% Lower Cape May Regional 89.3% 23.0% 78.9% 28.0% Middle Township 87.4% 17.0% 82.2% 34.0% Ocean City High 94.9% 45.0% 88.1% 53.0% Wildwood High 71.7% 6.0% 62.7% 14.0% Source: New Jersey School Performance Report

There are a number of other issues affecting both Cape May County and the Southern New Jersey region. Continue visiting our website and read our profile of Cape May County to get a broad look at data in other areas.