How much does a Plumber make in Delaware?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,300 for Plumbers in Delaware as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,360 and the 75th-percentile is $77,010.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Delaware), the real-wage equivalent is $65,108 — what the $64,300 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $48,968 to $77,978.

How are Delaware Plumber 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 Plumber pay scale look like in Delaware?

The 90th percentile lands at $86,900. 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 $77,010.

How wide is the wage spread in Delaware?

P10 to P90 spans $40,630 to $86,900. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

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.

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.

How Much Do Plumbers Make in Delaware? $64K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Delaware pays Plumbers a BLS median of $64,300 — the more useful number is $65,108, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
State ranks #20 nationally on nominal wage, #28 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Quartile range $48,360 (bottom 25%) to $77,010 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $40,630 to $86,900.

Wage breakdown — Delaware

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$40,630	$41,141
P25 (lower quartile)	$48,360	$48,968
P50 (median)	$64,300	$65,108
P75 (upper quartile)	$77,010	$77,978
P90 (top tier)	$86,900	$87,992
Mean	$65,220	$66,040
Employment	1,570 Plumbers 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 (Plumber)	$64,300	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,578	8.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,013	2.2–6.6% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,919	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$50,790	79.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$51,428	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $50,790 (79.0% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $51,428.

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 $62,970 for Plumbers with mean pay of $69,940 and total employment of 455,940. Delaware sits at #20 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Delaware falls 8 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Plumber make in Delaware?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $64,300 for Plumbers in Delaware as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,360 and the 75th-percentile is $77,010.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Plumber salary in Delaware?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Delaware), the real-wage equivalent is $65,108 — what the $64,300 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $48,968 to $77,978.
How are Delaware Plumber 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 Plumber pay scale look like in Delaware?: The 90th percentile lands at $86,900. 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 $77,010.
How wide is the wage spread in Delaware?: P10 to P90 spans $40,630 to $86,900. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Delaware a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Plumbers?: 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.
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.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 47-2152, 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 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Delaware Plumber 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.