County Employment and Wages in Delaware — Fourth Quarter 2024

Employment increased in both large counties in Delaware from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that Sussex County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 3.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Delaware, December 2024

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Delaware, December 2024
County	Percent change, December 2024
Sussex	3.1
New Castle	1.0

Among the two large counties in Delaware, employment was highest in New Castle (306,800) in December 2024. Together, the two large counties accounted for 83.2 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.)

Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2024

All large Delaware counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Sussex had the largest gain (+5.6 percent), and New Castle gained 4.6 percent.

Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Delaware, fourth quarter 2024

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Delaware, fourth quarter 2024
County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2024
Sussex	5.6
New Castle	4.6

Weekly wages in both large counties in Delaware were above the national average of $1,507. Average weekly wages were $1,579 in New Castle and $1,134 in Sussex.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2024

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the only small county in Delaware, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2023. (See table 2.) The wage level in Kent County, at $1,166, was below the national average.

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

QCEW Moves to One Data Release Beginning with Fourth Quarter 2024 Publication

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is streamlining its release process. Beginning with the fourth quarter 2024 national release on June 4, QCEW will publish the national County Employment and Wages news release on the same date as the QCEW full data update. Revised news release dates are available online.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the two largest counties in Delaware, fourth quarter 2024
Area	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
Area	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	December 2024 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2023–24 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Fourth quarter 2024 ($)	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2023–24 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	12,265.4	156,202.9	0.8	--	1,507	--	5.0	--
Delaware	45.2	480.6	1.5	--	1,437	15	4.5	24
New Castle	27.3	306.8	1.0	106	1,579	67	4.6	153
Sussex	11.1	93.2	3.1	5	1,134	327	5.6	70
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Delaware, fourth quarter 2024
Area	Establishments	Employment December 2024	Average weekly wage ($) (1)
United States (2)	12,265,395	156,202,874	1,507
Delaware	45,168	480,591	1,437
Kent	5,774	72,539	1,166
New Castle	27,277	306,782	1,579
Sussex	11,080	93,220	1,134
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2024
State	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
State	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	December 2024 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2023–24	Fourth quarter 2024 ($)	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2023–24	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	12,265.4	156,202.9	0.8	1,507	--	5.0	--
Alabama	162.3	2,122.2	0.9	1,255	36	4.1	32
Alaska	25.3	317.4	1.7	1,430	16	4.2	30
Arizona	225.5	3,272.3	1.2	1,406	19	6.4	6
Arkansas	106.1	1,312.6	1.1	1,153	50	5.9	10
California	1,903.9	18,230.8	0.5	1,872	5	6.5	5
Colorado	236.6	2,911.3	-0.3	1,594	8	5.1	16
Connecticut	150.7	1,700.7	0.5	1,716	6	5.2	15
Delaware	45.2	480.6	1.5	1,437	15	4.5	24
District of Columbia	52.4	757.2	-0.5	2,495	1	4.7	21
Florida	914.8	9,978.9	0.9	1,405	20	5.7	13
Georgia	396.6	4,916.6	0.8	1,391	21	4.7	21
Hawaii	61.4	651.3	1.1	1,345	27	4.3	26
Idaho	103.9	859.1	0.5	1,232	39	8.3	3
Illinois	411.2	6,089.1	0.5	1,538	12	4.1	32
Indiana	194.6	3,201.9	0.4	1,222	44	4.4	25
Iowa	112.5	1,559.3	-0.6	1,237	38	3.2	50
Kansas	103.5	1,445.6	0.9	1,218	45	4.3	26
Kentucky	159.0	2,008.4	0.2	1,189	46	3.8	39
Louisiana	156.8	1,936.3	1.1	1,228	40	2.8	51
Maine	66.2	643.9	0.9	1,278	33	5.9	10
Maryland	197.0	2,779.9	1.6	1,570	10	4.2	30
Massachusetts	288.5	3,646.1	-0.4	1,890	3	4.7	21
Michigan	303.4	4,406.8	-0.1	1,370	23	4.1	32
Minnesota	215.1	2,945.4	1.1	1,452	14	3.7	42
Mississippi	90.9	1,174.3	0.2	1,023	51	4.1	32
Missouri	251.5	2,922.2	0.5	1,268	35	3.8	39
Montana	65.8	512.8	0.5	1,254	37	6.4	6
Nebraska	78.0	1,024.8	0.5	1,227	41	3.5	45
Nevada	108.1	1,561.5	0.4	1,350	25	6.1	9
New Hampshire	68.7	692.4	0.4	1,577	9	3.3	49
New Jersey	339.1	4,332.2	0.9	1,629	7	3.4	47
New Mexico	68.9	873.8	0.3	1,223	42	5.0	17
New York	711.5	9,777.3	1.5	1,881	4	5.4	14
North Carolina	384.0	4,941.9	0.5	1,358	24	5.8	12
North Dakota	36.9	431.1	0.9	1,315	30	3.8	39
Ohio	346.3	5,551.7	0.6	1,305	32	4.8	20
Oklahoma	129.7	1,713.2	0.8	1,168	48	4.1	32
Oregon	190.9	1,989.6	0.0	1,424	17	6.6	4
Pennsylvania	395.1	6,076.5	0.8	1,414	18	4.0	37
Rhode Island	48.9	500.8	1.6	1,348	26	3.5	45
South Carolina	195.3	2,310.1	1.4	1,223	42	6.2	8
South Dakota	40.6	459.7	0.9	1,181	47	3.9	38
Tennessee	232.2	3,320.3	0.9	1,372	22	5.0	17
Texas	846.0	14,129.7	1.5	1,488	13	4.3	26
Utah	142.6	1,735.8	1.3	1,333	29	3.7	42
Vermont	33.7	311.2	0.0	1,311	31	4.9	19
Virginia	320.9	4,142.6	1.2	1,546	11	4.3	26
Washington	241.5	3,612.0	0.8	1,897	2	8.7	2
West Virginia	62.7	701.4	0.2	1,159	49	3.4	47
Wisconsin	212.2	2,950.8	0.4	1,278	33	3.6	44
Wyoming	31.1	279.4	0.5	1,340	28	12.4	1
Puerto Rico	51.6	975.4	-0.2	718	(3)	4.5	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.0	33.1	-8.6	1,046	(3)	1.8	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Mid-Atlantic Information Office

County Employment and Wages in Delaware — Fourth Quarter 2024