Construction and Building Inspectors in Delaware
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$56,407
after federal, FICA and Delaware tax
Tax takes
$16,293
22.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$56,832
Delaware costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Delaware — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$72,700
Kept after tax
$56,407
Worth in national money
$56,832
State rank
25
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Delaware is 25 of 51 states for construction and building inspectors, with a middle wage of $72,700. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 445 occupations Delaware reports figures for, this is number 161.
- No great distortion either way. Delaware costs about what the country costs, so from $72,700, take-home of $56,407 is worth roughly $56,832 in national money. The average comes to $72,940, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Delaware ranks 25 of 51 for construction and building inspectors at $72,700. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Delaware's occupational distribution, construction and building inspectors sits at 161 of 445 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Price parity in Delaware is near the national base, so for construction and building inspectors, whose median is $72,700, the adjusted figure of $56,832 differs little from $56,407 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $72,940 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Construction and Building Inspectors
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $52,350 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $72,700 |
| Top tenth earn over | $95,690 |
| This salary | $72,700 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Delaware | $56,407 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $59,974 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,886 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $67,629 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,681 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 99 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Delaware earn less than $72,700. The published range is $52,350 up to $95,690, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Delaware's $56,407, worked from $72,700. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 161 of 445.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $56,832 uses one figure for the whole of Delaware. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 445 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 161.
- Reported values are medians; for construction and building inspectors in Delaware the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $52,350 to $95,690. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Delaware take-home of $56,407, on $72,700 for work ranking 161 of 445 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 161 of 445 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $56,832, worked from $72,700, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Delaware address, on work sitting at 161 of 445 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $52,350 at the bottom tenth to $95,690 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Delaware is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $56,832 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Delaware adds its own income tax on top — which is why $56,407 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($52,350 to $95,690) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Delaware rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Delaware's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $56,832 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $56,407 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Delaware income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.