Nurse practitioner salary in Delaware
Delaware nurse practitioners earn a median of $131,040 a year ($63.00 an hour), according to BLS data for May 2025. That is about the same as the national median of $132,300, and ranks 28th of 51 states.
Median, Delaware
$131,040
Mean $132,900
Middle half earns
$112,020 to $153,050
US: $117,990 to $156,700
Employed in Delaware
1,430
1.42x the national concentration
Where Delaware sits in the range
Delaware
Statewide
United States
National
Philadelphia
Metro area
Dover
Metro area
Nurse practitioner pay by percentile
Ten percent of Delaware nurse practitioners earned less than $97,450 and ten percent earned more than $162,870, a spread of $65,420. Where you land depends mostly on specialty, setting, experience and how the productivity pay is built, which is why two offers in the same city can be far apart.
| Percentile | Delaware | United States | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $97,450 | $101,340 | -3.8% |
| 25th | $112,020 | $117,990 | -5.1% |
| Median | $131,040 | $132,300 | -1.0% |
| 75th | $153,050 | $156,700 | -2.3% |
| 90th | $162,870 | $174,420 | -6.6% |
Nurse practitioner pay by metro area
BLS published NP pay for 2 metro areas that include part of Delaware. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD has the highest median at $135,700. Metro estimates rest on smaller samples than the statewide figure, so treat a low-precision row as a direction, not a number.
| Metro area | Employed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 6,590 | $135,700 | $125,260 to $154,800 |
| Dover, DEmoderate precision | 190 | $122,930 | $98,470 to $150,000 |
How NP pay compares with other clinicians in Delaware
| Occupation | Delaware | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse practitioner | $131,040 | $132,300 |
| Physician assistant | $139,350 | $135,880 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | not published | $236,590 |
| Registered nurse | $99,520 | $97,550 |
The Delaware NP workforce
BLS counts 1,430 nurse practitioners on Delaware payrolls, or 2.95 for every 1,000 jobs in the state, more concentrated than in the country as a whole. The federal NPI registry, which also counts self-employed and part-time clinicians, lists 1,639 nurse practitioners with a Delaware practice address, and 116 new NP NPIs there in the past twelve months.
Using these numbers when you negotiate
A state median is a reference point, not a target. If an offer comes in under $112,020, it sits in the bottom quarter of what Delaware nurse practitioners earn, and you should know why before you sign: a new-grad rate, a light schedule, or a base kept low because a productivity bonus is supposed to make up the difference. If it is above $153,050, ask what is expected in return, such as call, volume targets or a longer non-compete.
Compare the whole package, not the base: how the bonus is calculated, call pay, CME, PTO and who pays malpractice tail coverage. The negotiation guide and the contract checklist walk through each term.
Questions about NP pay in Delaware
How much does a NP make in Delaware?
The median annual wage for nurse practitioners in Delaware was $131,040 in May 2025, and the mean was $132,900, per the BLS. The middle half earned between $112,020 and $153,050.
What is the hourly rate for nurse practitioners in Delaware?
The median hourly wage was $63.00 and the mean was $63.89. BLS computes hourly figures from annual pay assuming a full-time year, so per-shift or per-diem rates can differ.
Where do NPs earn the most in Delaware?
Among Delaware metro areas with published data, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD had the highest median at $135,700, and Dover, DE the lowest at $122,930.
How does Delaware rank for NP pay?
Delaware ranks 28th of 51 states (including DC) by median NP pay, about the same as the national median of $132,300. Pay is only half the picture: compare it with what housing and taxes cost where you would live.
How many nurse practitioners work in Delaware?
BLS estimated 1,430 nurse practitioners employed in Delaware in May 2025. The federal NPI registry lists 1,639 with a Delaware practice address.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (bls.gov/oes), SOC 29-1171, all industries and ownerships. NPI counts: NPPES monthly file, August 2026 (CMS, public domain). BLS wages are straight-time pay: they include production bonuses but leave out overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits, and they exclude the self-employed.
Have an offer on the table?
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