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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Delaware), the real-wage equivalent is $104,416 — what the $103,120 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $91,435 to $125,427.

How are Delaware PT salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $135,990. 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 $123,870.

Where does Delaware rank for PT 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.

What are the limits of these PT 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.

DPT degree ROI in Delaware — does the salary justify $100K+ tuition?

BLS reports a Delaware PT median in the table above; DPT programs typically run $80K-$150K in tuition plus 3 years of foregone earnings. ROI breakeven is usually 8-15 years post-graduation depending on starting compensation, specialty (orthopedic / neuro / cardiopulmonary), and clinical setting (outpatient vs hospital vs home health).

Delaware Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $103K Median, Real $104K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Delaware PT median pay at $103,120. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $104,416.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Wage envelope: $80,480 (P10) to $135,990 (P90), with quartiles at $90,300 and $123,870.
Delaware participates in the PT Compact — physical therapists with a Compact Privilege can practice across Delaware without a separate license.
Nominal: #10/51 · Real: #25/51 — ranking shifts by 15 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Delaware

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$80,480	$81,491
P25 (lower quartile)	$90,300	$91,435
P50 (median)	$103,120	$104,416
P75 (upper quartile)	$123,870	$125,427
P90 (top tier)	$135,990	$137,699
Mean	$106,450	$107,788
Employment	910 PTs 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 (PT)	$103,120	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,933	13.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,575	2.2–6.6% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,889	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$75,723	73.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$76,675	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,723 (73.4% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $76,675.

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 $101,020 for PTs with mean pay of $102,400 and total employment of 248,630. Delaware sits at #10 on nominal pay and #25 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Delaware falls 15 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Delaware (PT Compact)

Delaware participates in the Physical Therapy Compact, with effective participation since 2018. PTs and PTAs with a Compact Privilege issued from another member state may practice in Delaware without separately applying for a Delaware license. Delaware Compact Privilege fees are typically $45 per state per 1-year cycle (vs. $200–$400 + 60–90 days for traditional endorsement), making it the dominant pathway for travel PTs and multi-state telehealth practices.

Delaware has been a Compact participant for 8 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.

Source: ptcompact.org state status — re-synced quarterly. See PT Compact reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Delaware?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Delaware), the real-wage equivalent is $104,416 — what the $103,120 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $91,435 to $125,427.
How are Delaware PT salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the PT pay scale look like in Delaware?: The 90th percentile lands at $135,990. 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 $123,870.
Where does Delaware rank for PT 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.
What are the limits of these PT 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.
DPT degree ROI in Delaware — does the salary justify $100K+ tuition?: BLS reports a Delaware PT median in the table above; DPT programs typically run $80K-$150K in tuition plus 3 years of foregone earnings. ROI breakeven is usually 8-15 years post-graduation depending on starting compensation, specialty (orthopedic / neuro / cardiopulmonary), and clinical setting (outpatient vs hospital vs home health).

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1123, 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 PT 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.