Worcester County’s 2,040 businesses employ 20,300 workers; an estimated 13 of these businesses have 100 or more workers. Chicken growing and processing is the major industry in Worcester County. Major private sector employers include Bel-Art Products, Perdue Farms, and Tyson Foods, Inc.
The County has three State Enterprise Zones: a 797-acre zone in Berlin, a 1,117-acre zone in Pocomoke City, and a 325-acre zone in Snow Hill. Worcester County is also one of seven jurisdictions participating in the One Maryland Program which offers significant tax credits for capital investments that create jobs.
LABOR AVAILABILITY
(by place of residence) Worcester County
Civilian Labor Force (2005 annual averages):
Total civilian labor force
27,972
Employment
26,173
Unemployment
1,799
Unemployment rate
6.4%
Residents commuting outside the county to work (2000):
5,714
27.0%
Employment in selected occupations (2000):
Management, professional and related
6,299
29.3%
Service
4,560
21.2%
Sales and office
5,971
27.8%
Production, transp. and material moving
1,977
9.2%
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Workforce Information and Performance; U.S. Bureau of the Census.
EMPLOYMENT
(2005, by place of work) Annual
Average
Average
Weekly
Industry Employment
%
Wage
Federal government
201
0.8
$816
State government
327
1.3
643
Local government
3,115
12.7
685
Private sector
20,836
85.1
443
Nat'l. resources and mining
152
0.6
507
Construction
2,086
8.5
575
Manufacturing
998
4.1
614
Trade, transp. and utilities
4,056
16.6
456
Information
125
0.5
702
Financial activities
1,206
4.9
607
Prof. and business services
1,091
4.5
625
Educ. and health services
1,762
7.2
583
Leisure and hospitality
8,643
35.3
310
Other services
714
2.9
399
Unclassified
3
0.0
654
Total
24,479
100.0
480
Note: Percentages may not add due to rounding.
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Workforce Information and Performance.
Note: These wages are an estimate of what workers might expect to receive on the Lower Eastern Shore (Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties). Wages may vary by industry, employer, and locality. Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Workforce Information and Performance.
