County Employment and Wages in Delaware — First Quarter 2025

Employment rose in Delaware’s two largest counties, Sussex and New Castle, from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that Sussex County had the larger over-the-year increase in employment at 0.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Delaware, March 2025

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Delaware, March 2025
County	Percent change, March 2025
Sussex	0.9
New Castle	0.8

Among the two largest counties in Delaware, employment was higher in New Castle (304,300) in March 2025. Together, the two large counties accounted for 83.4 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 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 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025

Both large Delaware counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) Sussex had the higher increase (+3.8 percent), and New Castle gained 3.5 percent.

Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Delaware, first quarter 2025

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Delaware, first quarter 2025
County	Percent change, first quarter 2025
Sussex	3.8
New Castle	3.5

The weekly wage in 1 of the 2 large counties in Delaware was above the national average of $1,589. Average weekly wages were $1,740 in New Castle and $1,097 in Sussex.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the one small county in Delaware, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) The wage level in Kent County, at $1,126, 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 second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the two largest counties in Delaware, first quarter 2025
Area	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
Area	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	March 2025 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2024–25 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	First quarter 2025 ($)	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, first quarter 2024–25 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	12,249.3	154,523.8	0.4	--	1,589	--	4.1	--
Delaware	45.4	474.3	0.8	--	1,535	15	3.4	30
New Castle	27.4	304.3	0.8	105	1,740	51	3.5	153
Sussex	11.1	91.4	0.9	93	1,097	342	3.8	132
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, first quarter 2025
Area	Establishments	Employment March 2025	Average weekly wage ($) (1)
United States (2)	12,249,320	154,523,785	1,589
Delaware	45,386	474,267	1,535
Kent	5,759	70,450	1,126
New Castle	27,420	304,313	1,740
Sussex	11,118	91,380	1,097
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, first quarter 2025
State	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
State	Establishments, first quarter (thousands)	March 2025 (thousands)	Percent change, March 2024–25	First quarter 2025 ($)	National ranking by level	Percent change, first quarter 2024–25	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	12,249.3	154,523.8	0.4	1,589	--	4.1	--
Alabama	163.3	2,102.3	0.3	1,245	39	3.8	23
Alaska	25.3	323.5	1.3	1,452	20	5.8	4
Arizona	226.1	3,259.3	0.3	1,431	21	3.8	23
Arkansas	107.6	1,304.4	0.7	1,236	40	5.6	6
California	1,945.4	18,066.2	0.1	1,905	6	4.2	13
Colorado	242.4	2,862.7	0.1	1,681	8	4.2	13
Connecticut	148.5	1,671.7	0.5	1,980	4	3.8	23
Delaware	45.4	474.3	0.8	1,535	15	3.4	30
District of Columbia	51.5	748.9	-1.4	2,606	1	7.2	1
Florida	886.5	9,958.4	0.9	1,456	19	5.1	8
Georgia	394.8	4,860.7	0.4	1,491	17	3.4	30
Hawaii	60.3	644.8	0.6	1,363	27	6.7	2
Idaho	102.7	848.2	1.2	1,178	48	4.2	13
Illinois	407.1	5,988.9	0.2	1,662	9	3.2	38
Indiana	194.8	3,161.4	0.3	1,323	30	4.2	13
Iowa	111.3	1,537.7	-0.5	1,253	36	3.2	38
Kansas	104.3	1,428.0	0.8	1,246	38	4.0	19
Kentucky	159.6	1,986.3	0.0	1,213	44	2.4	51
Louisiana	157.0	1,921.2	0.5	1,227	42	2.8	49
Maine	66.6	629.6	0.1	1,283	34	2.7	50
Maryland	197.7	2,739.0	-0.2	1,634	10	3.2	38
Massachusetts	289.8	3,575.8	-0.7	2,107	3	4.6	11
Michigan	307.3	4,337.3	-0.3	1,391	24	2.9	48
Minnesota	211.8	2,878.6	-0.1	1,570	14	3.7	27
Mississippi	91.3	1,160.4	-0.4	1,018	51	4.1	17
Missouri	252.4	2,886.9	0.1	1,310	31	3.2	38
Montana	67.1	505.8	0.6	1,189	46	5.6	6
Nebraska	78.6	1,008.4	-0.1	1,231	41	3.1	42
Nevada	106.1	1,541.2	0.2	1,359	29	4.1	17
New Hampshire	66.3	681.0	0.1	1,606	11	4.8	9
New Jersey	338.9	4,259.0	1.1	1,815	7	3.0	44
New Mexico	66.8	868.2	0.3	1,203	45	3.9	22
New York	716.1	9,757.0	1.4	2,213	2	6.2	3
North Carolina	373.2	4,888.5	0.2	1,467	18	4.8	9
North Dakota	36.4	422.8	0.6	1,302	33	3.3	34
Ohio	344.2	5,466.8	0.2	1,361	28	3.5	28
Oklahoma	130.9	1,700.2	0.5	1,186	47	3.0	44
Oregon	186.2	1,965.7	-0.8	1,420	23	3.3	34
Pennsylvania	394.5	6,003.5	0.6	1,500	16	3.5	28
Rhode Island	49.0	489.3	1.0	1,429	22	3.0	44
South Carolina	198.7	2,304.9	1.7	1,247	37	4.4	12
South Dakota	40.5	450.5	0.2	1,163	49	3.0	44
Tennessee	221.0	3,251.5	-0.4	1,364	26	4.0	19
Texas	847.6	14,015.9	1.2	1,587	13	3.1	42
Utah	138.1	1,720.5	1.1	1,365	25	4.0	19
Vermont	33.5	306.8	-0.4	1,280	35	3.8	23
Virginia	321.9	4,108.8	0.8	1,605	12	3.4	30
Washington	240.9	3,583.7	0.9	1,935	5	5.8	4
West Virginia	61.9	694.6	0.0	1,149	50	3.3	34
Wisconsin	208.9	2,898.4	-0.2	1,305	32	3.4	30
Wyoming	31.0	274.6	0.0	1,216	43	3.3	34
Puerto Rico	52.0	946.1	-0.7	699	(3)	3.2	(3)
Virgin Islands	2.9	33.8	-7.5	1,034	(3)	2.7	(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: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Mid-Atlantic Information Office

County Employment and Wages in Delaware — First Quarter 2025