Editing Cape May County, New Jersey (section)

==Economy==
The primary job sectors in Cape May County are related to hotel accommodation, food service, retail, health care/aide, arts/entertainment, and construction.<ref name="eco"/> Historically, Cape May County's economy was driven by whaling and farming, until seasonal resorts were built in the 19th century. These industries remain a part of the county's job sector, along with [[agritourism]], and around 30,000 people in the private industry. The largest employer is [[Morey's Piers]],<ref name="herald921">{{cite news|title=County Looks to New Industry, Expanded Season to Retain Jobs|date=September 21, 2017|author=Bill Barlow|newspaper=Cape May County Herald|access-date=March 22, 2018|url=http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/news/article_cead9f92-9ed8-11e7-a7e6-2b82439aa45b.html|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405102544/https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/news/article_cead9f92-9ed8-11e7-a7e6-2b82439aa45b.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> which hires 1,500 people.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fewer U.S. applicants for summer jobs at Morey's Pier at Jersey Shore|author=William Sokolic|date=May 29, 2016|newspaper=Philly Voice|access-date=March 22, 2018|url=http://www.phillyvoice.com/summer-jobs-jersey-shore/|archive-date=March 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323031222/http://www.phillyvoice.com/summer-jobs-jersey-shore/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Cape Regional Medical Center]] hires over 1,000 people. More than 10,000 people are in the hospitality sector.<ref name="herald921"/> As of February 2018, the unemployment rate in Cape May County was 14.3%, significantly more than the 5.2% unemployment rate in August 2017. Each year, the unemployment rate peaks in the wintertime and drops in the summertime,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|title=Unemployment Rate in Cape May County, NJ, retrieved from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis|date=January 1990|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NJCAPE1URN|access-date=April 8, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323030954/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NJCAPE1URN|url-status=live}}</ref> reflective of the county's dependence on seasonal tourism-driven jobs.<ref name="herald921"/> As of February 2018, Cape May County had the highest unemployment rate in New Jersey, followed by neighboring Atlantic and Cumberland counties.<ref>{{cite report|title=New Jersey Counties Unemployment Rates - February 2018|url=http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/content/maps/laus_month.pdf|publisher=New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618144636/https://nj.gov/labor/lpa/content/maps/laus_month.pdf|archive-date=June 18, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] calculated that the county's [[gross domestic product]] was $5.0&nbsp;billion in 2021, which was ranked 19th in the state and was a 6.4% increase from the prior year.<ref>[https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/lagdp1222.pdf Gross Domestic Product by County, 2021], [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]], released December 8, 2022. Accessed July 17, 2023.</ref>

In 2023, the tourism industry contributes about $7.7&nbsp;billion worth of income in Cape May County, from 11.6&nbsp;million visitors. Retail spending was $1.4&nbsp;billion, food and beverage represented $1.8&nbsp;billion, while camping and lodging represented about $3.2&nbsp;billion in expenditures. Recreational activities generated $1.4&nbsp;billion in expenditures and transportation costs were $530&nbsp;million.<ref>[https://www.capemaycountychamber.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Tourism Cape May County Tourism Report], Cape May County Chamber. Accessed March 17, 2025. "2023 Total Direct Tourism Expenditures - $7.714 billion... Lodging: $3.195 B Food & Beverage: $1.746 B Retail: $1.441 B Recreation: $797.1 M Transportation: $534.6 M... Cape May County saw 11.58 million visitors in 2023 compared to 11.38 million in 2022."</ref> There is little heavy industry in the county due to environmental concerns.<ref name="strat"/><ref name="Seaislenenews">{{cite news |last1=Wittkowski |first1=Donald |title=Tourism Hits $6.6 Billion in Cape May County |url=https://seaislenews.com/tourism-hits-6-6-billion-cape-may-county/ |access-date=May 19, 2019 |publisher=Sea Isle News |date=May 18, 2019 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125132549/https://seaislenews.com/tourism-hits-6-6-billion-cape-may-county/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:Ocean City NJ beach looking north at 12th Street.jpeg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Ocean City, New Jersey|Ocean City]], August 2020]]
The majority of Cape May County's industry is tourism, due to its beaches and location between the [[Delaware Bay]] and the Atlantic Ocean. During the summer season (which traditionally ranges from [[Memorial Day]] to [[Labor Day (United States)|Labor Day]]), tourists often outnumber locals 9 to 1. As of 2010, the four largest markets for tourism in Cape May County were [[Greater Philadelphia]], [[North Jersey]], [[New York (state)|New York]], and the Canadian province of [[Québec]].<ref name=DiIonno>Di Ionno, Mark. [http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2010/08/quebec_tourists_continue_to_fl.html "Canadian tourists continue to flock to Wildwoods as vacation destination"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109191145/http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2010/08/quebec_tourists_continue_to_fl.html |date=November 9, 2014 }}, ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', August 3, 2010. Accessed July 12, 2015.</ref>

In addition to sales tax, hotel occupancy tax and other assessments charged throughout the state, tourism-related business in [[North Wildwood, New Jersey|North Wildwood]], [[Wildwood, New Jersey|Wildwood]] and [[Wildwood Crest, New Jersey|Wildwood Crest]], such as hotels and restaurants, are required to collect an additional 2% tourism sales tax that is used to cover costs for promoting tourism.<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/capemay_over.shtml Cape May County Tourism Sales Tax Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124195637/http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/capemay_over.shtml |date=January 24, 2018 }}, [[New Jersey Department of Treasury]]. Accessed January 24, 2018. "Effective January 1, 2018, businesses in Wildwood, North Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest collect a 2% Cape May Tourism Tax and a 6.625% New Jersey Sales Tax on tourism-related sales (Combined rate, 8.625%) This is in addition to the 1.85% Tourism Assessment and the 3.15% State Occupancy Fee on hotel occupancies."</ref>

Beginning in 1968 the county government began campaigns to attract tourists from Canada. In 1970 it established a tourism office in [[Montreal]] and later made strides to get tourists from other parts of Quebec. The county government made efforts to train tourism establishments on how to receive French-speaking Canadian tourists.<ref>{{cite web|last=Degener|first=Richard|url=https://www.thedailyjournal.com:443/story/news/2014/03/16/cape-may-offers-tips-on-french-canadian-tourists/6497831/|title=Cape May offers tips on French Canadians|newspaper=[[The Daily Journal (New Jersey)|The Daily Journal]]|date=March 16, 2014|access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref> In 1991, Canadian tourism into Cape May County remained strong despite an economic recession occurring in Canada.<ref>Barlas, Thomas. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEA91F69EBF767&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM CANADIANS VISITING CAPE DESPITE ECONOMY] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014816/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEA91F69EBF767&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=October 5, 2013 }}." ''[[Press of Atlantic City]]'', July 24, 1991. Accessed August 20, 2013.</ref> As of 1993, most Canadian tourists to the county were [[Francophones]], who typically began their visits during the final two weeks of the month of July, when many Canadians working in the construction and garment sectors receive two-week paid time off.<ref>Barlas, Thomas. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEAA4D5AC5A463&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Canadian Invasion Spreading / Visitors From Ontario Seeking Info About Cape May, O.C. Vacations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004232343/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEAA4D5AC5A463&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=October 4, 2013 }}, ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', July 18, 1993. Accessed August 20, 2013.</ref> Most of the French Canadian tourists who visit Cape May County stay in hotels in The Wildwoods or campgrounds on the mainland.<ref>{{cite news|last=DeAngelis|first=Martin|title=Incentives keep French-Canadians filing into area resorts|work=The Press of Atlantic City|date=March 1, 2016|url=https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/incentives-keep-french-canadians-filing-into-area-resorts/article_7f6d24cc-e028-11e5-b351-233262e460c9.html|access-date=July 13, 2018|archive-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714051324/https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/incentives-keep-french-canadians-filing-into-area-resorts/article_7f6d24cc-e028-11e5-b351-233262e460c9.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1990s, Cape May County established an [[international tourism]] office in [[Montréal]], along St. Catherine's Street,<ref>Lapusheski, Christine. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEA83C3A1BC868&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Canadian Connection Seeks Warm Reception / New Tourism Head Busy Touting Cape"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014614/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAEA83C3A1BC868&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=October 5, 2013 }}, ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', February 28, 1990. Accessed August 20, 2013.</ref><ref name=Gifillian>Gilfillian, Trudi. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=12A2E2877238F6D0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Canadians invade, to county's delight / Cape May County enjoys influx of tourists"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005020455/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=12A2E2877238F6D0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=October 5, 2013 }}, ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', August 18, 2009. Accessed August 20, 2013.</ref> but closed it around 1995, due to budget cuts. By 2010 the tourism office of Cape May County established a French language coupon booklet.<ref>Staff. [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-02-09-cape-may-canadian-tourists_N.htm "Cape May, N.J., targets Canadian tourists"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005044301/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-02-09-cape-may-canadian-tourists_N.htm |date=October 5, 2013 }}, ''[[USA Today]]'', February 9, 2010. Accessed August 20, 2013.</ref> In 2010, Cape May County tourism director estimated that 13% of visitors to the region originated from Quebec.<ref name=DiIonno/>

[[Beach tag]]s are required for beach access in some of the most popular beaches and are collected under the terms of a 1955 state law that allows oceanfront municipalities to charge "reasonable fees" for providing safety and maintenance at the beaches.<ref>St. Martin, Victoria. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/more_than_a_third_of_beach_tow.html "More than one third of N.J. beach towns that require beach badges are increasing summer rates"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124200454/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/more_than_a_third_of_beach_tow.html |date=January 24, 2018 }}, ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', May 26, 2011. Accessed January 24, 2018. "The idea behind a 1955 state law was that towns could 'provide facilities and safeguards for public bathing and recreation,' including lifeguards, by charging 'reasonable fees.'"</ref> The highest seasonal beach tag fee in the county was $35.<ref>Hawk, Tim. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/07/beach_badges.html "9 surprising facts you may not have known about N.J. beach tags"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124200710/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/07/beach_badges.html |date=January 24, 2018 }}, NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], July 16, 2017. Accessed January 24, 2018. "From Cape May Point to Brigantine, no seasonal fee is more than $35."</ref> The sale of daily, weekly and seasonal tags is a major source of revenue for the communities, with the six beachfront communities in Cape May County that charge for beach tags generating $10 million in revenue in 2016. Ocean City brought in $4.1 million in revenue in the 2016 season, the most of any municipality in the state.<ref name=Beaches2016>Hoover, Amanda. [http://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/index.ssf/2017/09/heres_how_much_money_shore_towns_raked_in_last_yea.html "Here's how much money Shore towns raked in off beach badges last summer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124005928/http://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/index.ssf/2017/09/heres_how_much_money_shore_towns_raked_in_last_yea.html |date=January 24, 2018 }}, NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], September 2, 2017. Accessed January 23, 2018. "Ocean City - Revenue: $4.12 million; Price: Daily-$5; Weekly-$10; Seasonal-$25."</ref> In the 2017 budget, the projected $4.1 million in fees for beach tag and $3 million for parking were two of Ocean City's biggest revenue sources, accounting for almost 9% of the city's annual budget of almost $80 million.<ref>Wittkowski, Donald. [http://ocnjdaily.com/ocean-citys-proposed-2017-municipal-budget-emphasizes-capital-projects/ "Ocean City's Proposed 2017 Municipal Budget Emphasizes Capital Projects"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124011130/http://ocnjdaily.com/ocean-citys-proposed-2017-municipal-budget-emphasizes-capital-projects/ |date=January 24, 2018 }}, ''OCNJ Daily'', March 15, 2017. Accessed January 23, 2018. "Ocean City's proposed $79.7 million operating budget reflects a healthy real estate market and should satisfy Wall Street credit-rating agencies, but will require local property owners to pay more in taxes this year, according to the city's chief financial officer.... Ocean City has the ability to tap different sources of revenue – in addition to local property taxes – to finance the operating budget. Beach tag sales and parking operations are two of the biggest revenue generators. The budget forecasts $4.1 million in beach tag sales and $3 million in parking revenue for 2017."</ref> Cape May City, with revenue of $2.2 million, was ranked third in the state.<ref name=Beaches2016/> Four of the five municipalities in the state with guarded oceanfront beaches available with free public access are in the county, including [[Strathmere, New Jersey|Strathmere]] in [[Upper Township, New Jersey|Upper Township]] and the Wildwoods communities of [[North Wildwood, New Jersey|North Wildwood]], [[Wildwood, New Jersey|Wildwood]] and [[Wildwood Crest, New Jersey|Wildwood Crest]].<ref>Spoto, MaryAnn. [http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/05/surfers_fighting_to_save_dwindling_free_beaches.html "Surfers fighting to save dwindling free beaches"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053600/http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/05/surfers_fighting_to_save_dwindling_free_beaches.html |date=December 22, 2017 }}, NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], May 20, 2015. Accessed January 24, 2018. "New Jersey has five free guarded ocean beaches – Atlantic City, Wildwood, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and the Strathmere section of Upper Township."</ref>

===Fishing and farming===
[[File:Cape May County, New Jersey Municipalities.png|thumb|upright=1.1|Index map of Cape May County municipalities (click to see index key)]]
Fishing has been an important industry in Cape May County since at least the 17th century, when the county's first European settlement was founded as a whaling village. In 1693, whaling proved such a successful industry that [[List of colonial governors of New Jersey|colonial Governor]] [[Andrew Hamilton (New Jersey governor)|Andrew Hamilton]] instituted a 10% tax on whale products. By the mid-1700s, overfishing had diminished the whale population in the region.<ref name="proposed"/> In the early 1800s, shipbuilding was an important industry, which declined by the 1850s.<ref name="survey"/> Fishing remains an important aspect of Cape May County's economy. In 2016, the combined port of Cape May and Wildwood ranked the ninth largest commercial fishing port in the United States as measured by monetary value, as well as the second largest on the east coast, only after [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]]. Fishermen brought in 47 million lbs (21 million kg) of seafood, mainly scallops, worth $85 million (2016 USD).<ref>{{cite news|author=Jack Tomczuk|date=November 26, 2017|title=$85 million commercial fishing industry feeds Cape May County economy|newspaper=The Gazette of Cape May|access-date=March 22, 2018|url=http://www.shorenewstoday.com/cape_may/million-commercial-fishing-industry-feeds-cape-may-county-economy/article_ce588a5b-f1ae-583c-83cd-5081988af611.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323031043/http://www.shorenewstoday.com/cape_may/million-commercial-fishing-industry-feeds-cape-may-county-economy/article_ce588a5b-f1ae-583c-83cd-5081988af611.html|archive-date=March 23, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Region's ports rank highly in NOAA's "Fisheries of the US" report|newspaper=Commercial Fisheries News|date=December 2017|access-date=March 22, 2018|url=http://fish-news.com/cfn/regions-ports-rank-highly-in-noaas-fisheries-of-the-us-report/#sthash.gVd00PEQ.dpbs|archive-date=March 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323030659/http://fish-news.com/cfn/regions-ports-rank-highly-in-noaas-fisheries-of-the-us-report/#sthash.gVd00PEQ.dpbs|url-status=live}}</ref> This was up from $73.7 million in 2009, when the overall market value of the port was estimated at $442 million, making it the fourth most valuable port in the country. In the 1980s, the scallop industry was worth only $15 million in the state of New Jersey. In 1990, laws limiting the catch and area of scallops led to a healthier and steadier population to harvest, which allowed for growth in the industry.<ref>Degener, Richard. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/cape_may/article_956e1b6a-799a-11de-a3fc-001cc4c03286.html "Port of Cape May reels in $73.7M., climbs to fourth in nation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165908/http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/cape_may/article_956e1b6a-799a-11de-a3fc-001cc4c03286.html |date=March 3, 2016 }}, ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', July 26, 2009. Accessed October 3, 2013. "Scallop harvests, boosted by federal regulations that close off huge sections of the ocean to let them grow big and plump, helped the port, which includes docks in Lower Township and Wildwood but none actually in Cape May, move from the eighth largest in the country in 2007 to No. 4 in the nation last year."</ref> Cold Spring Fish and Supply Company provides 500 jobs and is the county's third-largest employer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape May, NJ|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=June 18, 2018|url=https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/seafood/ports/cape_may__nj.html|archive-date=June 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618230157/https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/educational_resources/seafood/ports/cape_may__nj.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Farming became an important industry in the county by the 19th century, when nearly {{convert|70000|acre|ha|abbr=on}}, or about 40% of the county's land area, was involved in farming. The industry's popularity led to the first freight railroad in 1863, and continued to be a fixture of the county's economy until the 1960s.<ref name="proposed"/>
There is an annual [[lima bean]] festival in West Cape May featuring foods made with the locally grown lima beans.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lima Bean Soup |url=https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lima-bean-soup/ |website=Taste of Home |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126135706/https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lima-bean-soup/ |url-status=live }}</ref>