State salary profile · Delaware

Delaware Salaries

Largest Delaware OEWS employment footprints with published wages, from BLS May 2025. Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area.

$165,390
Mean of top 50 medians
514
Occupations
2
Local wage areas
37,780
Estimated jobs (top tier)

The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians in Delaware is $165,390.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, The May 2025 release has a published median for 514 occupations in Delaware; percentile boundaries and local-area rows are available only where BLS publishes them. The highest-paying reported occupation, Dermatologists, earns $442,120, versus $31,200 for Driver/Sales Workers at the bottom of the range. Detail is available for 1 metro area and 1 nonmetropolitan area. Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area.

Delaware · employment ≠ wage

In Delaware, Registered Nurses lead by published employment (14,290 jobs, #1 of 472) but rank #86 of 472 on median wage ($99,520), while Dermatologists top the wage list at $442,120 (#1 of 472) with 40 jobs (#450 of 472). The largest payroll is not the highest published median.

14,290
Registered Nurses employment #1
$442,120
Dermatologists wage #1
#450
Employment rank of wage leader
#86
Wage rank of employment leader

Employment is OEWS tot_emp inside this state; pay is the occupation median. Same detailed-occupation pool, two rankings.

Employment of Delaware's #1 occupations by headcount vs median wage

Same unit (published jobs) for both named leaders. BLS OEWS May 2025.

jobs

What this shows Registered Nurses lead Delaware by employment; Dermatologists lead on median wage at $442,120.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

Delaware, the picture in one line

Delaware ranks #18 of 54 states and territories by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage; its highest published occupation median is Dermatologists at $442,120. Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area.

#18
of 54 states by published mean wage
$442,120
top-paying: Dermatologists
67th
percentile among all states
Dover, DE
local OEWS: Dover, DE and Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area

The state rank uses BLS's All Occupations mean. Occupation rows below use occupation-specific medians; the two statistics are not interchangeable. Start local checks in Dover, DE.

Largest published OEWS footprints in Delaware

General and Operations Managers and Software Developers lead Delaware's published employment inside this top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.

  1. 1. General and Operations Managers 5,000 jobs · $137,220
  2. 2. Software Developers 3,380 jobs · $133,020
  3. 3. Lawyers 2,920 jobs · $173,510
  4. 4. Financial Managers 2,810 jobs · $181,580
  5. 5. Computer and Information Systems Managers 2,140 jobs · $168,500
  6. 6. Medical and Health Services Managers 1,560 jobs · $134,820
  7. 7. Nurse Practitioners 1,430 jobs · $131,040
  8. 8. Physicians, All Other 1,370 jobs · $297,470
  9. 9. Managers, All Other 1,280 jobs · $168,060
  10. 10. Chemists 1,200 jobs · $129,860
  11. 11. Financial Risk Specialists 1,160 jobs · $139,440
  12. 12. Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 1,100 jobs · $132,710
  13. 13. Physician Assistants 860 jobs · $139,350
  14. 14. Computer Occupations, All Other 860 jobs · $137,470
  15. 15. Pharmacists 790 jobs · $152,880
  16. 16. Computer Network Architects 760 jobs · $148,390
  17. 17. Administrative Services Managers 720 jobs · $139,910
  18. 18. Information Security Analysts 720 jobs · $137,030
  19. 19. Electrical Engineers 660 jobs · $126,970
  20. 20. Family Medicine Physicians 640 jobs · $228,000

Local BLS wage areas inside Delaware

Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area.

Dover, DE Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area

Observed statewide pay change

What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025

May 2024 → May 2025
  • BLS's published All Occupations median in Delaware moved from $51,030 in May 2024 to $52,190 in May 2025 (+2.3%).
  • Across the 54 states and territories priced in both releases, the median place changed +2.7%.
  • Delaware sits -0.5 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators shows the widest statewide vs national median gap in Delaware

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators publishes $60,350 here versus $46,420 nationally (+30.0%; 5,230statewide jobs). Next is General and Operations Managers at $137,220 locally versus $105,770 nationally (+29.7%).

  1. Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$60,350 in Delaware sits 30.0% above the national Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators median of $46,420 (5,230 published local jobs).
  2. General and Operations Managers$137,220 in Delaware sits 29.7% above the national General and Operations Managers median of $105,770 (5,000 published local jobs).
  3. Accountants and Auditors$95,020 in Delaware sits 13.6% above the national Accountants and Auditors median of $83,680 (6,570 published local jobs).
  4. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$75,220 in Delaware sits 8.2% above the national First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers median of $69,500 (5,480 published local jobs).

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Delaware; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.

· Source: BLS OEWS May 2025

The Delaware OEWS table has a published median for 514 occupations. The displayed top 50 rows have summed published employment of approximately 37,780; that sum does not include the bottom table or rows whose employment is suppressed. BLS publishes means and percentile boundaries only where the corresponding estimate meets its publication standards. Averaging the medians of the top 50 highest-paying occupations gives $165,390 per year. That is only a mean of the displayed upper-tier occupation medians; it is not the BLS All Occupations mean or median and does not describe a typical worker. Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area.

At the top of the ranking, Dermatologists pays a Delaware median of $442,120, the highest-paying reported occupation in the state. The number-two spot goes to Obstetricians and Gynecologists at $324,080, followed by Physicians, All Other at $297,470. At the bottom of the published range, Driver/Sales Workers has a median of $31,200, making the displayed endpoint ratio 14.2×. The endpoints do not establish a cause or career stage. WageDex has BLS occupation rows for 1 metro area and 1 nonmetropolitan area assigned to Delaware, allowing comparisons below the statewide estimate without treating nonmetropolitan areas as MSAs.

The employment-ordered lead of General and Operations Managers / Software Developers is the Delaware mix signal in this sample; the salary-ordered top of Dermatologists answers a different question. Neither row identifies why pay differs, open the occupation page for percentiles and local-area cells BLS actually releases.

Top-Tier Sample

75

occupations shown below

Avg. Median Salary

$165,390

top 50 occupations

Top Salary

$442,120

Dermatologists

Where Delaware ranks by published mean wage

BLS All Occupations annual mean vs. 54 states & territories; local OEWS includes Dover, DE and Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area

$69,880 Top 33% higher than 67% of 54 states & territories

$0–$5,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Below this entry. $60,000–$65,000: 16 states & territories (30%). Below this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 8 states & territories (15%). This entry sits in this band. $70,000–$75,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 states & territories (7%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. This state $0 $115,000 every state & territory, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
Band Count Share
$0–$5,000 0 states & territories 0%
$5,000–$10,000 0 states & territories 0%
$10,000–$15,000 0 states & territories 0%
$15,000–$20,000 0 states & territories 0%
$20,000–$25,000 0 states & territories 0%
$25,000–$30,000 0 states & territories 0%
$30,000–$35,000 0 states & territories 0%
$35,000–$40,000 1 states & territories 2%
$40,000–$45,000 0 states & territories 0%
$45,000–$50,000 1 states & territories 2%
$50,000–$55,000 3 states & territories 6%
$55,000–$60,000 8 states & territories 15%
$60,000–$65,000 16 states & territories 30%
$65,000–$70,000 (this entry) 8 states & territories 15%
$70,000–$75,000 8 states & territories 15%
$75,000–$80,000 4 states & territories 7%
$80,000–$85,000 3 states & territories 6%
$85,000–$90,000 1 states & territories 2%
$90,000–$95,000 0 states & territories 0%
$95,000–$100,000 0 states & territories 0%
$100,000–$105,000 0 states & territories 0%
$105,000–$110,000 0 states & territories 0%
$110,000–$115,000 1 states & territories 2%

$69,880 · 67th percentile of 54 states & territories

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025

Delaware ranks #18 of 54 by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage ($69,880). It is not the median wage or a prediction for a particular worker.

National-price-equivalent mean: dividing the $69,880 BLS All Occupations mean by the BEA state RPP gives $70,020. Inputs: BEA Regional Price Parity for Delaware (RPP 99.8, 2024; 100 = national average, all items, table SARPP). The division is a WageDex calculation, not an after-tax or household-income measure.

Largest OEWS footprints in Delaware

Published employment among the top-pay sample, top 15 by jobs

jobs
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

BLS publishes wage data for 514 distinct occupations in Delaware. The table below shows the top 50 by median annual wage, reordered by published employment for this reading. Drill into the full top-100 ranking or the fastest-growing list for deeper coverage.

Top-pay occupations in Delaware, by employment

View all 100 →

Same top-pay sample as the salary ranking, sorted by published Delaware jobs so the title sequence follows the local OEWS mix.

# Occupation Median Salary
1 General and Operations Managers $137,220
2 Software Developers $133,020
3 Lawyers $173,510
4 Financial Managers $181,580
5 Computer and Information Systems Managers $168,500
6 Medical and Health Services Managers $134,820
7 Nurse Practitioners $131,040
8 Physicians, All Other $297,470
9 Managers, All Other $168,060
10 Chemists $129,860
11 Financial Risk Specialists $139,440
12 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $132,710
13 Physician Assistants $139,350
14 Computer Occupations, All Other $137,470
15 Pharmacists $152,880
16 Computer Network Architects $148,390
17 Administrative Services Managers $139,910
18 Information Security Analysts $137,030
19 Electrical Engineers $126,970
20 Family Medicine Physicians $228,000
21 Construction Managers $132,150
22 Human Resources Managers $153,890
23 Architectural and Engineering Managers $181,190
24 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $131,080
25 Chief Executives $199,990
26 Industrial Production Managers $153,000
27 Chemical Engineers $133,670
28 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $128,570
29 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $145,000
30 Business Teachers, Postsecondary $130,370
31 Facilities Managers $129,260
32 Commercial Pilots $163,600
33 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $130,730
34 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $324,080
35 Optometrists $161,270
36 Pediatricians, General $219,190
37 Public Relations Managers $153,010
38 Fundraising Managers $131,750
39 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $131,340
40 Psychiatrists $279,410
41 Sales Engineers $167,200
42 Training and Development Managers $172,340
43 Economists $159,120
44 Podiatrists $170,560
45 Compensation and Benefits Managers $166,070
46 Dermatologists $442,120
47 Materials Engineers $131,320
48 Computer Hardware Engineers $135,690
49 Database Architects $147,800
50 Nurse Midwives $127,510

Lowest Paying Jobs in Delaware

Occupation Median Salary
Driver/Sales Workers $31,200
Slaughterers and Meat Packers $31,200
Demonstrators and Product Promoters $31,200
Manicurists and Pedicurists $31,200
Amusement and Recreation Attendants $31,200
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers $31,200
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $31,200
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders $31,240
Fast Food and Counter Workers $31,300
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant $31,430
Cooks, Fast Food $31,840
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $31,880
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers $31,930
Shampooers $32,150
Concierges $32,420
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse $33,090
Childcare Workers $33,210
Tour and Travel Guides $33,210
Tutors $33,240
Transportation Workers, All Other $33,420
Cashiers $33,490
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers $33,730
Recreation Workers $33,790
Animal Trainers $33,810
Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other $33,840

Fastest Growing Jobs

View all 50 →

See national growth projections alongside the published OEWS state employment estimates for each occupation in Delaware. Based on BLS employment projections 2024-2034.

Metro and Nonmetropolitan Wage Areas in Delaware

Dover, DE Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area

Salary Guides

Best States for Salaries

Which states pay the most and why

Salary vs. Cost of Living

Compare local wage and price-level benchmarks

Fastest Growing Occupations

Where the job growth is heading

Nationwide states with similar All Occupations pay or employment scale

Two BLS OEWS peer sets outside Delaware. Local metro cards below stay inside this state; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on published All Occupations mean wage ($69,880 here) and reported employment (484,790 jobs here).

Similar mean wage

Nearest other states by BLS All Occupations annual mean wage.

Similar employment scale

Nearest headcount peers (floor 250,000 All Occupations jobs), distinct from the mean-wage column.

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS All Occupations mean annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude states already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct.

Local OEWS areas and related Delaware pages

Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area.

Dover, DE

Local OEWS wage area

Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

Highest Paying in Delaware

Top 100 by median salary

Fastest Growing in Delaware

Projected 2024-2034 growth

Dermatologists

National occupation profile

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average of the top 50 occupation medians in Delaware? ▼
The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians is $165,390/year (BLS OEWS May 2025). It is not the statewide mean or median and does not describe the wage of a typical worker.
What is the average salary in Delaware? ▼
BLS publishes an All Occupations annual mean wage of $69,880/year for Delaware in the May 2025 OEWS release, which ranks 18th among the 54 states and territories with a published mean. Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area. This is an occupational wage estimate, not a household-income statistic or a prediction for one worker.
What is the highest paying job in Delaware? ▼
The highest paying occupation in Delaware is Dermatologists with a median salary of $442,120/year according to BLS data. The second highest is Obstetricians and Gynecologists at $324,080/year.
What jobs pay the least in Delaware? ▼
The lowest published occupation median in this Delaware ranking is Driver/Sales Workers at $31,200/year. The table does not classify that occupation as entry-level or explain why its median is lowest.
How many local BLS wage areas are shown for Delaware? ▼
WageDex has occupation-level wage rows for 1 metro area and 1 nonmetropolitan area assigned to Delaware. Published local OEWS areas include Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area. Nonmetropolitan reporting areas are not MSAs. Compare the same occupation and statistic across areas; published coverage can differ by occupation and geography.
How many occupations are shown for Delaware? ▼
BLS publishes wage data for 514 distinct occupations in Delaware. The 50 occupations in the displayed upper tier have a combined OEWS employment estimate of approximately 37,780 jobs in covered establishments.

Federal sources behind Delaware wages

BLS OEWS state wage tables → BLS QCEW state series → BLS LAUS unemployment → BEA personal income by state →

What to do with this data

How to use Delaware wage data in a real decision

  • General and Operations Managers anchors the largest published OEWS footprint in Delaware, ahead of Software Developers; hold that mix next to Dover, DE and Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area when the pay table alone does not describe the local mix. General and Operations Managers
  • Inside Delaware, re-check Dermatologists in Dover, DE, Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area before treating the statewide median as a metro offer. Dover, DE
  • Open Dermatologists for percentile bands and local-area rows; Delaware's statewide median of $442,120 uses a different geography than any single metro estimate. Dermatologists
  • The published Delaware range runs from Driver/Sales Workers at $31,200 to Dermatologists at $442,120; an offer still depends on the exact role and employer. Salary calculator

BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period and exclude self-employed workers; some small occupation-area cells are suppressed.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

State-level employment totals and local-area breakouts from BLS OEWS State and Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025. Local areas can be metropolitan or nonmetropolitan.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. State wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Statewide figures are estimates and may not reflect pay in your specific local wage area or employer.