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

The 90th percentile lands at $127,340. 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 $108,360.

How many RNs does Delaware employ?

BLS OES counts 13,260 RNs 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 RN 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 RNs?

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.

Is Delaware an NLC compact state for RN licensure?

Yes — Delaware participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Delaware without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.

Travel RN vs staff RN in Delaware — which earns more on a real basis?

Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In Delaware, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

How Much Do Registered Nurses Make in Delaware? $93K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Median RN salary in Delaware: $92,610 nominal, $93,774 real (BEA RPP basis).
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #17 of 51; nominal rank is #18.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Quartile range $82,600 (bottom 25%) to $108,360 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $72,850 to $127,340.
Multistate license: Delaware participates in the NLC compact, useful for travel-RN flexibility.

Wage breakdown — Delaware

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$72,850	$73,765
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,600	$83,638
P50 (median)	$92,610	$93,774
P75 (upper quartile)	$108,360	$109,722
P90 (top tier)	$127,340	$128,940
Mean	$95,450	$96,649
Employment	13,260 RNs 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 (RN)	$92,610	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$11,621	12.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,881	2.2–6.6% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,085	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$69,023	74.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$69,890	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $69,023 (74.5% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $69,890.

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 $93,600 for RNs with mean pay of $98,430 and total employment of 3,282,010. Delaware sits at #18 on nominal pay and #17 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Delaware climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Delaware (NLC)

Delaware participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2017. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Delaware without applying for a separate Delaware license. Delaware-issued multistate licenses are reciprocally recognized in 36 other Compact states (37 jurisdictions total in 2026), eliminating the per-state endorsement workflow ($100–$500 + 4–16 week processing) for travel and per-diem RN work.

Delaware has been a Compact participant for 9 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: NCSBN compact implementation tracker — re-synced quarterly. See NLC reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Delaware?: The 90th percentile lands at $127,340. 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 $108,360.
How many RNs does Delaware employ?: BLS OES counts 13,260 RNs 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 RN 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 RNs?: 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.
Is Delaware an NLC compact state for RN licensure?: Yes — Delaware participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so RNs holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Delaware without applying for a separate license. This materially lowers the cost and timeline of cross-state moves.
Travel RN vs staff RN in Delaware — which earns more on a real basis?: Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In Delaware, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1141, 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 RN 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.