How much does an Accountant make in Delaware?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $84,560 for Accountants in Delaware as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $68,530 and the 75th-percentile is $110,290.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in Delaware?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Delaware), the real-wage equivalent is $85,623 — what the $84,560 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $69,391 to $111,676.

What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Delaware?

The 90th percentile lands at $133,550. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $110,290.

How many Accountants does Delaware employ?

BLS OES counts 6,120 Accountants employed in Delaware in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Delaware rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Delaware ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Is Delaware a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?

No — Delaware's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Is busy season ($35K of overtime) included in Delaware accountant BLS figures?

Yes — BLS OES uses annualized W-2 earnings, so January-April busy-season overtime is rolled into the median. The high P90 in public-accounting-heavy Delaware markets reflects busy-season hours plus year-end bonuses. Industry accountants typically have flatter hours and a lower P90 ceiling but more predictable totals.

Delaware Accountant Salary 2026 — BLS Median $85K, Real Take-Home $86K

TL;DR

Delaware pays Accountants a BLS median of $84,560 — the more useful number is $85,623, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Wage envelope: $56,500 (P10) to $133,550 (P90), with quartiles at $68,530 and $110,290.
Nominal: #11/51 · Real: #12/51 — ranking shifts by 1 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Delaware

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$56,500	$57,210
P25 (lower quartile)	$68,530	$69,391
P50 (median)	$84,560	$85,623
P75 (upper quartile)	$110,290	$111,676
P90 (top tier)	$133,550	$135,228
Mean	$95,150	$96,346
Employment	6,120 Accountants in Delaware

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Delaware index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.8
Goods	97.3
Services	104.4
Rents	98.9

Delaware's overall RPP (98.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Delaware (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$84,560	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,850	11.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,350	2.2–6.6% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,469	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$63,891	75.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$64,694	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Delaware state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $63,891 (75.6% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $64,694.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. Delaware sits at #11 on nominal pay and #12 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Delaware falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in Delaware?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $84,560 for Accountants in Delaware as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $68,530 and the 75th-percentile is $110,290.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in Delaware?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Delaware), the real-wage equivalent is $85,623 — what the $84,560 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $69,391 to $111,676.
What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Delaware?: The 90th percentile lands at $133,550. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $110,290.
How many Accountants does Delaware employ?: BLS OES counts 6,120 Accountants employed in Delaware in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Delaware rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Delaware ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is Delaware a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Accountants?: No — Delaware's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Is busy season ($35K of overtime) included in Delaware accountant BLS figures?: Yes — BLS OES uses annualized W-2 earnings, so January-April busy-season overtime is rolled into the median. The high P90 in public-accounting-heavy Delaware markets reflects busy-season hours plus year-end bonuses. Industry accountants typically have flatter hours and a lower P90 ceiling but more predictable totals.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Delaware Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.