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What does a Registered Nurses 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 Registered Nurses earning $99,520 in Delaware has the equivalent purchasing power of $101,551 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) | $78,340 | $79,938 | +$1,598 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $85,900 | $87,653 | +$1,753 |
| Median (P50) | $99,520 | $101,551 | +$2,031 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $111,720 | $114,000 | +$2,280 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $123,860 | $126,387 | +$2,527 |
Delaware's cost of living is close to the national average, so $99,520 keeps most of its value at $101,551 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 Registered Nurses 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, $99,520 nominal nets out to $101,551 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 Registered Nurses.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Registered Nurses, Delaware places #11 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Registered Nurses salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Delaware ranks #11 out of 51 states for Registered Nurses after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Registered Nurses take-home pay in Delaware after taxes →
A Registered Nurses in Delaware earns a median salary of $99,520 per year. After adjusting for Delaware's cost of living (RPP=98.0), the real purchasing power is $101,551 — 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 Registered Nurses in Delaware: $99,520 x (100 / 98.0) = $101,551. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Registered Nurses 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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