Cost Estimators in Delaware
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,608
after federal, FICA and Delaware tax
Tax takes
$18,682
23.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$61,065
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
$79,290
Kept after tax
$60,608
Worth in national money
$61,065
State rank
23
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Delaware sits in the middle of the pack for cost estimators. The median is $79,290, ranking 23 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 445 occupations Delaware reports figures for, this is number 128.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $79,290 the take-home is $60,608, which is worth about $61,065 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is lower, $79,200, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Delaware occupies the middle band for cost estimators: a median of $79,290, ranking 23 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Delaware's occupational distribution, cost estimators sits at 128 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.
- Delaware's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for cost estimators on its $79,290 median: $60,608 retained after tax becomes $61,065 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $79,200 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Cost Estimators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $49,580 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $79,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $108,280 |
| This salary | $79,290 |
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 | $60,608 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $64,611 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,424 |
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 | $73,601 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,493 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 99 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of cost estimators in Delaware earn under $79,290 and half over. The published range runs $49,580 at the tenth percentile to $108,280 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Delaware the take-home figure of $60,608, from $79,290, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 128 of 445 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $61,065 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 128.
- Figures are distribution medians for cost estimators in Delaware, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $49,580 to $108,280; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Delaware is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $60,608 from $79,290. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 128 of 445 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $61,065, worked from $79,290, 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 128 of 445 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $49,580 at the bottom tenth to $108,280 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $61,065.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Delaware then takes its own share, leaving $60,608.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($49,580) and the ninetieth ($108,280) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $61,065 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 $60,608 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.