Registered Nurses Salary
Registered Nurses in Delaware make a median of $99,520 a year, or about $47.85 an hour. The range runs from $78K at the entry level to $124K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.51), that's roughly $102,061 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,448/month, or 23.2% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Delaware. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $100K get you in Delaware?
About registered nurses
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What this looks like in Delaware
Registered nurses pay in Delaware tracks closely to the national median, $100K locally vs. $98K nationwide, a 2% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,448/month, 23.8% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 97.51) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Delaware
Entry-level registered nurses (10th percentile) start around $78K. Mid-career wages sit at $100K. Top earners bring in $124K or more, a $46K spread from bottom to top.
Registered Nurses salary by metro in Delaware
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | $92K | -8% | 1,700 |
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Delaware numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a registered nurse afford a 2BR apartment alone in Delaware?
Yes — at the median salary of $100K, rent takes 23.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,448/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for registered nurses in Delaware?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new registered nurses typically earn — is $78K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,700/month. At HUD’s $1,448/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is registered nurse a high-paying job in Delaware?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $100K locally vs. $98K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Delaware compare to the national average for registered nurses?
Delaware pays $100K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.51), the purchasing-power equivalent is $102K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do registered nurses make in Delaware?
The median is $99,520 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $78,340, and experienced registered nurses can clear $123,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $100K enough to live in Delaware?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,090/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,448/month, which eats 23.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a registered nurses salary go in Delaware?
Delaware has a Regional Price Parity of 97.51 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median registered nurses salary is worth about $102,061 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do registered nurses get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.