How many Real Estate Agents does Delaware employ?

BLS OES counts 740 Real Estate Agents 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 Real Estate Agent 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.

How wide is the wage spread in Delaware?

P10 to P90 spans $31,040 to $97,530. 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 Real Estate Agent 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 the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Delaware agent income?

Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Delaware real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.

Commission split, brokerage cap, and team-lead economics in Delaware?

Delaware commission structures are typically 5-6% of sale price, split between buyer and seller side, then split again between brokerage and agent at ratios from 50/50 (entry-level) to 90/10 or 100% post-cap (senior agents at high-cap brokerages like Keller Williams or eXp). A Delaware agent producing $5M in transaction volume at 2.5% gross side commission and a 70/30 post-cap split keeps roughly $87,500 — but must net out brokerage fees, MLS dues, E&O insurance, marketing, transaction coordinator fees, and self-employment tax. Realistic take-home is typically 50-65% of headline gross commission income. Team-lead and rainmaker agents extract a share of team-member production, which is the primary path to top-quartile earnings in Delaware.

Delaware Real Estate Agent Salary: BLS $48K Median, Real $49K (2026)

TL;DR

Delaware pays Real Estate Agents a BLS median of $48,450 — the more useful number is $49,059, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
P25-P75 spread runs $38,720 to $67,800; P10 floor $31,040, P90 ceiling $97,530.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #34 of 51; nominal rank is #34.

Wage breakdown — Delaware

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$31,040	$31,430
P25 (lower quartile)	$38,720	$39,207
P50 (median)	$48,450	$49,059
P75 (upper quartile)	$67,800	$68,652
P90 (top tier)	$97,530	$98,756
Mean	$62,190	$62,971
Employment	740 Real Estate Agents 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 (Real Estate Agent)	$48,450	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,676	7.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,122	2.2–6.6% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,706	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$38,945	80.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$39,435	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Delaware state-tax burden means for Real Estate Agent take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $38,945 (80.4% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $39,435.

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 $56,320 for Real Estate Agents with mean pay of $70,970 and total employment of 190,600. Delaware sits at #34 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How many Real Estate Agents does Delaware employ?: BLS OES counts 740 Real Estate Agents 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 Real Estate Agent 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.
How wide is the wage spread in Delaware?: P10 to P90 spans $31,040 to $97,530. 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 Real Estate Agent 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 the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Delaware agent income?: Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Delaware real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.
Commission split, brokerage cap, and team-lead economics in Delaware?: Delaware commission structures are typically 5-6% of sale price, split between buyer and seller side, then split again between brokerage and agent at ratios from 50/50 (entry-level) to 90/10 or 100% post-cap (senior agents at high-cap brokerages like Keller Williams or eXp). A Delaware agent producing $5M in transaction volume at 2.5% gross side commission and a 70/30 post-cap split keeps roughly $87,500 — but must net out brokerage fees, MLS dues, E&O insurance, marketing, transaction coordinator fees, and self-employment tax. Realistic take-home is typically 50-65% of headline gross commission income. Team-lead and rainmaker agents extract a share of team-member production, which is the primary path to top-quartile earnings in Delaware.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 41-9022, 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 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how Delaware Real Estate Agent 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.