Minimum wage in Delaware, 2000–2026
- Minimum wage in 2026
$15 an hour1
In force since Jan 1, 2025.
- On January 1, 2027
No change scheduled2
$15 an hour since Jan 1, 2025, the latest rate Delaware Code, Title 19, § 902 gives (checked Oct 26, 2026).
- Tipped employees
$2.23 an hour in cash3
Employers may count up to $12.77 an hour of tips toward the minimum wage. Tipped: more than $30 a month in tips.
- Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours a week (federal FLSA)4
For covered employees who are not exempt.
The Delaware minimum wage rose from $5.65 in 2000 to $15 in 2026
Line chart of the Delaware minimum wage against the federal minimum: $5.65 in 2000, $7.25 in 2010, $9.25 in 2020, and $15 in 2026. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.
What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs in Delaware
At $15 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $31,200 in wages and $2,926 on top (9.4%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp.
- Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
- $31,200
- Social Security (employer share)6.2%6 of $31,200
- $1,934
- Medicare (employer share)1.45%7 of $31,200
- $452
- Delaware Paid Leave (employer's minimum share)0.16%10 (half of the 0.32% parental leave rate)10 of $31,200
- $50
- Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$0.97 per $100 of payroll11
- $303
- Total a year
- $34,126
If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $7,339 more a year: a $9,459 average premium12 less $2,120 paid by the employee12.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Delaware in 2026?
$15 an hour since Jan 1, 2025: $31,200 a year at full time.
What will the minimum wage be in Delaware in 2027?
We found no 2027 rate by Oct 26, 2026; the latest rate on file is $15 an hour, as Delaware Code, Title 19, § 902 gives it.
What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Delaware?
$2.23 an hour in cash, with up to $12.77 of tips counted toward Delaware's $15.
How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in Delaware?
About $34,126 a year full time at $15: $31,200 of pay plus $2,926 on top, $2,624 in payroll taxes and $303 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.
How has the Delaware minimum wage changed since 2000?
The Delaware minimum wage rose from $5.65 in 2000 to $15 in 2026. On the way: $7.25 in 2010 and $9.25 in 2020, per the U.S. DOL.
More minimum wage and employer cost pages
Employer costs in Delaware
States with a similar minimum wage
Data and rules for every state
Sources
The 13 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Delaware Department of Labor industrialaffairs.delaware.gov/en-us/knowledgebase-employee/what-is-the-current-minimum-wage-in-delaware“As of January 1, 2025, the minimum wage is $15.00 per hour.”
- Delaware Code, Title 19, § 902 delcode.delaware.gov/title19/c009/index.html“(5) Not less than $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2025.”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped“Definition of Tipped Employee by Minimum Tips received (monthly unless otherwise specified) … State requires employers to pay tipped employees a minimum cash wage above the minimum cash wage required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hour) … Delaware $15.00 $12.77 $2.23 More than $30”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Overtime Pay - US Department of Labor“Unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay.”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024“Delaware 1.25 1.25 1.60 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 … Delaware 3.35 3.80 4.25 4.25 4.65 5.00 5.15 … Delaware 5.65 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.15 6.15 … Delaware 6.65 7.15 7.15 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Delaware 7.75 8.25 8.25 8.25 8.25 9.25 … Delaware 9.25 9.25 10.50 11.75 13.25” “Federal (FLSA) $1.15 & $1.60 $1.30 & $1.60 $1.60 $2.20 & $2.30 $2.90 $3.10 $3.35 … Federal (FLSA) $3.35 $3.80 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.75 $5.15 … Federal (FLSA) $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 5.15 … Federal (FLSA) 5.15 5.85 6.55 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25”
- Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide“For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total).”
- Social Security Administration ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html“Tax rates under the HI program are 1.45 percent for employees and employers, each, and 2.90 percent for self-employed persons.”
- Internal Revenue Service Topic no. 759, Form 940 – FUTA tax (IRS)“If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%.” “FUTA tax rate: The FUTA tax rate is 6.0%. The tax applies to the first $7,000 you paid to each employee as wages during the year.”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf“New employer rate shown is the base rate. … DE … 1.0%” “DE … $14,500”
- Delaware Department of Labor laborfiles.delaware.gov/main/pfl/Employer_and_TPAs_Guide_to_DPL.pdf“Small Employers (10–24 Employees): … you still can’t charge employees more than they would pay under the public plan, which is up to half of 0.32% of wages (or 0.16%) for just Parental Leave.” “If your business only has to offer Parental Leave, then you only pay 0.32% of your employees’ covered (“in-state FICA”) wages.”
- Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: $0.75-$1.00 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 32 23 Delaware 0.97 89%”
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (MEPS-IC) meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/summ_tables/insr/state/series_2/2025/ic25_iia_f.pdf“Table II.C.1 Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee … Division and State Total … Delaware 9,459 11,046 7,855 10,165 10,548 8,958 10,589 9,247” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Delaware 2,120 -- -- 2,720 2,508 1,961 1,806 * 2,179”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Delaware … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.00”