Delaware by the numbers
In Delaware, the median worker earns $51,030 a year, the typical home is worth $326,800 and carries $1,731 of property tax, and the average household pays $165 a month for electricity at 19.38¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South PJM Retail choice statewide
Energy
Delaware generates a small fraction of the electricity it uses. Nearly everything comes across the PJM network from Pennsylvania, Maryland and beyond, and that dependence is the central fact of its rate. There is no in-state nuclear plant, no large hydro, and only a modest gas fleet.
When PJM's capacity market repriced sharply upward, Delaware had no cushion. The state's default supply, Standard Offer Service, is procured through competitive auction and reflects the regional price directly.
Delaware's small size also concentrates costs. A single transmission upgrade or storm-hardening programme spreads across fewer than half a million meters.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Delaware households used 941 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $165. At the state median wage that is about 6.7 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, gas is still cheaper to run than a heat pump here, by about $3.10 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Delaware worker earned $51,030 in 2024, 3.1% above the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 13.23× | $34,060 |
| Financial Risk Specialists | 7.33× | $130,060 |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | 5.31× | $79,590 |
| Chemists | 4.6× | $125,430 |
| Chemical Technicians | 3.5× | $64,930 |
Property tax
The median Delaware homeowner pays $1,731 a year on a home worth $326,800, an effective rate of 0.53% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 3 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Delaware run at 99.8 where the national average is 100, ranking it #20 of 51. Goods sit at 96.2, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 102.0, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $51,030 therefore buys what $51,132 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (102.6) , Dover (97.5) .
Housing
House prices in Delaware rose 3.2% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +82.9%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: Wilmington (+2.0%) .
Who supplies the power
7 utilities report residential service in Delaware, together serving 432,913 customers. Retail choice statewide.
Delaware: common questions
What does it cost to live in Delaware?
Prices overall run at 99.8 against a national average of 100, with rents at 102.0. The typical home is worth $326,800 and carries $1,731 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.53% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $165 a month at 19.38¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $51,030.
What is the property tax rate in Delaware?
The effective rate is 0.53% of home value, from a median bill of $1,731. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 3 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Delaware?
The median wage of $51,030 buys what $51,132 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Delaware falls on.
Is Delaware expensive for electricity?
It ranks #19 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 19.38¢ per kilowatt-hour, +5.1% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 13 of 51, because households there use 941 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Delaware?
$51,030 across all occupations, about $24.53 an hour, covering 476,450 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Delaware?
7 utilities report residential service, the largest being Delmarva Power with 275,018 customers. Retail choice statewide.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources