Economic Development · Mathews County, Virginia
The place to build
something that lasts.
Mathews County isn't a place you stumble into. It's a place you choose — with 679 licensed businesses, a micro-business economy at an inflection point, and an EDA that's genuinely in your corner.
Why here, why now
Small county.
Outsized opportunity.
Mathews County sits at the edge of the Chesapeake Bay — literally surrounded by water — and that geography is an economic asset unlike anything inland. Working waterfronts. A 100,000+ visitor economy. Fixed broadband reaching much of the county. A real estate market appreciating 4.2% year-over-year.
What's missing? More businesses capturing more of that value. Remote workers spending locally. Makers turning hobbies into enterprises. Waterfront operators expanding capacity. That's exactly what the Comprehensive Plan calls for — and exactly what the EDA is here to support.
The barrier to entry here is lower than you think. The market is more ready than it looks. And you won't be doing it alone.
See how to get started
Image: Downtown Mathews
The fundamentals
Five reasons businesses
thrive in Mathews.
The same conditions that have sustained this county for centuries are now accelerating a new generation of enterprise.
Water as an economic asset
Over 200 miles of shoreline. A 100,000+ visitor economy with 70% overnight stays. Marine and waterfront businesses punch above their 4.4% share of licenses. The Bay isn't scenery — it's your supply chain, your market, your draw.
Broadband infrastructure
Fixed broadband now reaches much of Mathews County, and expansion continues. Remote workers already rank as the #2 employment category — a structural shift, not a pandemic aftereffect. Connectivity that was once a constraint is becoming a competitive advantage.
A real incentive stack
Local EDA loan funds. Virginia VJIP and AFID programs. Federal USDA and SBA options. Historic tax credits at 25% (state) and 20% (federal). Programs designed to layer together — which means more capital for your project than you might expect.
A community that buys local
With a median household income of $75,487 and a growing remote-worker population bringing outside income in, Mathews residents spend locally. Every new business deepens the fabric. 2023 saw 92 new entity registrations — the highest in recent history.
Low cost, high quality of life
Lower commercial rents than Richmond or the Peninsula. No traffic. No noise. An environment where your employees actually want to live. The people who choose Mathews choose it deliberately — and they stay.
"Strengthen the local economy through support for existing businesses, attraction of compatible new businesses, development of the tourism sector, and preservation of the working waterfront."
That's not just a goal on paper. It's the operating mandate for every program, loan, and introduction the EDA makes.
Everything in one place
Your full toolkit
for doing business here.
Whether you're at the idea stage or ready to scale, these are the resources the EDA has built for you.
Start a Business
Step-by-step guide from idea to open doors — entity type, licensing, location, funding, and everything in between.
Properties & Sites
Waterfront sites, commercial buildings, and development land — listed and mapped by the EDA. Filter, explore, and inquire directly.
Incentives & Programs
Local EDA funds, Virginia state programs, and federal options — designed to stack together. More programs than most businesses realize are available.
Make in Mathews
From hobby to handmade business — pricing, markets, structure, and story. For woodworkers, watermen, potters, weavers, and everyone in between.
Business Directory
Browse all 679 licensed businesses in Mathews County. Find suppliers, collaborators, competitors, and gaps in the market.
Economic Record
Quarterly pulse reports, data stories, and business profiles. Know the market before you move. Real numbers, not press releases.
Business Calculators
Break-even analysis, startup cost estimators, and loan calculators. Run the numbers before you commit — free, no signup required.
Business Health Check
A diagnostic for businesses already operating. Find gaps, identify growth opportunities, and get a clearer picture of where you stand.
STR Guide
Mathews County's growing visitor economy makes short-term rentals a viable business. Regulations, licensing, and the EDA's perspective on responsible hosting.
Image: Richardson's Cafe
How it all connects
Your business
moves the whole economy.
Mathews is a micro-business economy — 90.6% of licensed businesses have between one and four employees. That means every new enterprise has an outsized impact. A new restaurant hires local. A new contractor builds local wealth. A new short-term rental captures visitor spending that currently leaves the county.
Construction and Trades lead with 221 licenses and 528 workers. Retail and Commerce is second. But the waterfront sector — marinas, marine repair, aquaculture, charter boats — represents just 4.4% of licenses and yet anchors the entire visitor economy. That gap between share and significance is where opportunity lives.
The Comprehensive Plan is explicit: grow existing businesses, attract compatible new ones, deepen the visitor economy, and protect the working waterfront. The EDA exists to make each of those things easier than going it alone.
Comprehensive Plan · Economic Development
What the county
is building toward.
The Mathews County Comprehensive Plan sets the direction. The EDA's job is to help businesses and entrepreneurs be the engine that gets us there.
Support & grow existing businesses
The businesses already here are the foundation. EDA programs, the health check, and direct introductions are all designed to help them go further — not just welcome newcomers.
Attract compatible new businesses
Not any business — the right businesses. Enterprises that fit the character of Mathews, strengthen the waterfront economy, and add to the county's identity rather than diluting it.
Develop the tourism & visitor sector
100,000+ tracked trips in 2025, 70% overnight stays, and Richmond driving 60% of visits. The infrastructure is there. The goal is to build the shoulder season and deepen spend per visit.
Preserve the working waterfront
Marinas, crab houses, aquaculture operations, boat yards. These aren't just economic assets — they're identity. Protecting them from displacement and helping them modernize is a priority.
Build workforce & broadband capacity
With fixed broadband reaching more of the county each year and remote workers already ranking #2 in employment, the infrastructure investment is paying off. The next goal is workforce pipeline and housing affordability.
Make decisions from data
The Economic Pulse, the business license database, visitor data — the EDA tracks what's happening so that investments and programs are aimed at what actually moves the needle.
About the EDA
We work for
your success.
The Mathews County Economic Development Authority is not a bureaucracy you report to. It's a resource you draw on. We make introductions, navigate programs, identify properties, and advocate for the conditions that make business viable here.
We don't have a preference for big over small, new over established, or any particular sector over another. Our goal is a thriving, diverse, and resilient local economy — and we'll go out of our way to help businesses that share that vision.
If you're wondering whether your idea is too small, too unusual, or too early — reach out anyway. That's exactly the kind of conversation we exist to have.
Talk to the EDA
Photo
Image: Joint BOS/EDA Meeting August 2025
Ready when you are
The hardest part is
deciding to start.
You don't need a finished business plan. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to be curious enough to have a conversation. We'll take it from there.