Delaware
Across all occupations in Delaware, the median wage is $52,190 a year ($25.09 an hour) and the mean $69,880, May 2025. That median is +2% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 484,790 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is dermatologists; the largest is registered nurses.
All occupations: Delaware vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Delaware | Hourly | $15.22 | $17.93 | $25.09 | $39.21 | $61.39 | $33.60 | 484,790 |
| Annual | $31,650 | $37,300 | $52,190 | $81,560 | $127,690 | $69,880 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in Delaware
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Delaware minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Delaware
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dermatologists | $442,120 | $212.56 | 40 |
| 2 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $324,080 | $155.81 | 190 |
| 3 | Physicians, All Other | $297,470 | $143.01 | 1,370 |
| 4 | Psychiatrists | $279,410 | $134.33 | 100 |
| 5 | Family Medicine Physicians | $228,000 | $109.62 | 640 |
| 6 | Pediatricians, General | $219,190 | $105.38 | 180 |
| 7 | Chief Executives | $199,990 | $96.15 | 390 |
| 8 | Financial Managers | $181,580 | $87.30 | 2,810 |
| 9 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $181,190 | $87.11 | 560 |
| 10 | Lawyers | $173,510 | $83.42 | 2,920 |
| 11 | Training and Development Managers | $172,340 | $82.86 | 70 |
| 12 | Podiatrists | $170,560 | $82.00 | 60 |
| 13 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $168,500 | $81.01 | 2,140 |
| 14 | Managers, All Other | $168,060 | $80.80 | 1,280 |
| 15 | Sales Engineers | $167,200 | $80.38 | 80 |
| 16 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $166,070 | $79.84 | 50 |
| 17 | Commercial Pilots | $163,600 | * | 220 |
| 18 | Optometrists | $161,270 | $77.54 | 190 |
| 19 | Economists | $159,120 | $76.50 | 70 |
| 20 | Human Resources Managers | $153,890 | $73.99 | 580 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Delaware
Occupation groups in Delaware
Metropolitan areas in Delaware
2 metropolitan areas touch Delaware, plus 1 nonmetropolitan area, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover, DE | Metropolitan | $46,690 | $22.45 | 68,080 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Metropolitan | $54,310 | $26.11 | 2,897,830 |
| Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $44,190 | $21.25 | 97,540 |
Occupation pages for Delaware
60 occupations have a dedicated Delaware page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $95,020
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $58,410
- Bartenders $36,840
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $51,780
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $95,040
- Carpenters $59,200
- Cashiers $33,490
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $168,500
- Computer User Support Specialists $62,160
- Construction Laborers $45,550
- Cooks, Restaurant $37,840
- Customer Service Representatives $48,190
- Electricians $63,700
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $75,920
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $31,300
- Financial Managers $181,580
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $81,100
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $48,120
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $75,220
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $79,100
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $55,710
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,510
- Food Preparation Workers $35,930
- General and Operations Managers $137,220
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $57,590
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $34,320
- Human Resources Specialists $77,700
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $60,350
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $35,320
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $37,320
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,350
- Lawyers $173,510
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $68,710
- Light Truck Drivers $43,990
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $34,150
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $50,150
- Management Analysts $99,480
- Managers, All Other $168,060
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $101,270
- Medical Assistants $44,490
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $44,500
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $67,780
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $43,770
- Nursing Assistants $42,030
- Office Clerks, General $42,740
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $92,970
- Project Management Specialists $122,190
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $36,310
- Registered Nurses $99,520
- Retail Salespersons $35,360
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $67,540
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $62,280
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $77,960
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $47,970
- Security Guards $36,360
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $44,120
- Software Developers $133,020
- Stockers and Order Fillers $37,420
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $37,830
- Waiters and Waitresses $36,880
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Delaware
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Delaware. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Delaware estimates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in Delaware.