Why is the BEA RPP for Delaware different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Delaware's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 98.9, services 104.4, and goods 97.3.

How wide is the wage spread in Delaware?

P10 to P90 spans $69,480 to $169,780. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Financial Analyst salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Delaware?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Delaware.

Does BLS financial analyst pay in Delaware include investment-banking bonuses?

BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income — which includes annual cash bonuses paid through payroll. So sell-side IB analyst-level bonuses, equity-research bonuses, and FP&A annual incentives all show up in the BLS figure. What's NOT included: deferred stock, unvested RSU grants, partnership distributions to senior associates and above, and post-tax-year 'true-up' bonuses paid through 1099. In Delaware, this means BLS reasonably represents junior analyst total comp but increasingly understates senior comp once equity becomes a meaningful share — gap widens at the P90 band.

Buy-side vs sell-side vs corporate finance analyst pay in Delaware?

BLS aggregates SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) without segmenting by sector. In Delaware, buy-side roles at hedge funds, asset managers, and private equity firms typically lead on total comp at every level — bonus carry / performance fees can dwarf base. Sell-side investment banking analysts in Delaware earn high cash comp but with steep hours; equity research mid-band; corporate finance / FP&A analysts earn the lowest among financial-analyst-track roles but with the most predictable hours. The Delaware BLS median primarily reflects the corporate / FP&A end of the band; high-finance-cluster cities show much higher P90s as a result.

Does CFA charterholder status raise financial analyst pay in Delaware?

CFA Institute survey data and industry comp reports typically show a 10-20% pay premium for CFA charterholders over non-charterholders at comparable seniority — though the causal share (vs. selection effect: higher-track analysts pursue CFA) is debated. In Delaware, the CFA premium is largest in equity research, portfolio management, and credit analysis roles where the credential is functionally required at the senior level; in IB and corporate finance the premium is smaller and substitutable with MBA. The 4-year, three-exam CFA path costs $3-5K in fees and 900-1,000 study hours, so the realized ROI in Delaware depends heavily on whether the role values the credential for promotion vs. just hiring.

How Much Do Financial Analysts Make in Delaware? $99K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports Delaware Financial Analyst median pay at $99,170. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $100,416.
Bottom quartile $79,840, top quartile $133,680. The P90 ($169,780) is roughly 2.4× the P10 ($69,480).
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Financial Analyst ranking: #15 on the BLS table, #12 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Delaware

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$69,480	$70,353
P25 (lower quartile)	$79,840	$80,843
P50 (median)	$99,170	$100,416
P75 (upper quartile)	$133,680	$135,360
P90 (top tier)	$169,780	$171,913
Mean	$114,200	$115,635
Employment	3,140 Financial Analysts 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 (Financial Analyst)	$99,170	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,064	13.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,314	2.2–6.6% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,587	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$73,205	73.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$74,125	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Delaware state-tax burden means for Financial Analyst take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $73,205 (73.8% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $74,125.

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 $101,350 for Financial Analysts with mean pay of $116,490 and total employment of 340,580. Delaware sits at #15 on nominal pay and #12 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Delaware climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the BEA RPP for Delaware different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Delaware's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 98.9, services 104.4, and goods 97.3.
How wide is the wage spread in Delaware?: P10 to P90 spans $69,480 to $169,780. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Financial Analyst salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Delaware?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Delaware.
Does BLS financial analyst pay in Delaware include investment-banking bonuses?: BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income — which includes annual cash bonuses paid through payroll. So sell-side IB analyst-level bonuses, equity-research bonuses, and FP&A annual incentives all show up in the BLS figure. What's NOT included: deferred stock, unvested RSU grants, partnership distributions to senior associates and above, and post-tax-year 'true-up' bonuses paid through 1099. In Delaware, this means BLS reasonably represents junior analyst total comp but increasingly understates senior comp once equity becomes a meaningful share — gap widens at the P90 band.
Buy-side vs sell-side vs corporate finance analyst pay in Delaware?: BLS aggregates SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) without segmenting by sector. In Delaware, buy-side roles at hedge funds, asset managers, and private equity firms typically lead on total comp at every level — bonus carry / performance fees can dwarf base. Sell-side investment banking analysts in Delaware earn high cash comp but with steep hours; equity research mid-band; corporate finance / FP&A analysts earn the lowest among financial-analyst-track roles but with the most predictable hours. The Delaware BLS median primarily reflects the corporate / FP&A end of the band; high-finance-cluster cities show much higher P90s as a result.
Does CFA charterholder status raise financial analyst pay in Delaware?: CFA Institute survey data and industry comp reports typically show a 10-20% pay premium for CFA charterholders over non-charterholders at comparable seniority — though the causal share (vs. selection effect: higher-track analysts pursue CFA) is debated. In Delaware, the CFA premium is largest in equity research, portfolio management, and credit analysis roles where the credential is functionally required at the senior level; in IB and corporate finance the premium is smaller and substitutable with MBA. The 4-year, three-exam CFA path costs $3-5K in fees and 900-1,000 study hours, so the realized ROI in Delaware depends heavily on whether the role values the credential for promotion vs. just hiring.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2051, 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 Financial Analyst 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.