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What does a Materials Engineers salary really buy you in Delaware?
Delaware is 2.0% cheaper than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Delaware's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 98.0, meaning prices are 2.0% lower the national average. A Materials Engineers earning $131,320 in Delaware has the equivalent purchasing power of $134,000 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Delaware's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $100,620 | $102,673 | +$2,053 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $100,980 | $103,040 | +$2,060 |
| Median (P50) | $131,320 | $134,000 | +$2,680 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $165,960 | $169,346 | +$3,386 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $182,400 | $186,122 | +$3,722 |
Delaware's cost of living is close to the national average, so $131,320 keeps most of its value at $134,000 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 98.0, Delaware is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Materials Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Delaware's cost of living, $131,320 nominal nets out to $134,000 in real purchasing power — a small 2.0% gain. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Materials Engineers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Materials Engineers, Delaware places #3 of 45 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Materials Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Delaware ranks #3 out of 45 states for Materials Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Materials Engineers take-home pay in Delaware after taxes →
A Materials Engineers in Delaware earns a median salary of $131,320 per year. After adjusting for Delaware's cost of living (RPP=98.0), the real purchasing power is $134,000 — a +2.0% difference.
Delaware's cost of living is 2.0% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Delaware is 98.0 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Materials Engineers in Delaware: $131,320 x (100 / 98.0) = $134,000. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Materials Engineers in Delaware enjoys 2.0% more buying power than the nominal salary suggests, because living costs are below the national average. However, other factors like job availability, career growth, and quality of life also matter.
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