State relocation profile · Federal data
Delaware
Cost of living, fair-market rent, wages, safety, schools and childcare for Delaware from federal sources.
- 99.8
- Cost index (US=100)
- $1,559
- 2BR rent / mo
- $71,613
- Median salary
- 42.6
- Life Score
The verdict
As of June 2026, Delaware ranks #40 of 51 scored US states on the composite Life Score (42.6/100, F), with its strongest marks in wages and childcare.
- #40 of 51
- Life Score among scored states
- 42.6
- Life Score · F
- 99.8
- Cost of living (US=100)
- $71,613
- Median annual salary (BLS)
Weakest dimension: rent (20/100). State-level figures are a benchmark, individual metros can diverge sharply, so weigh each dimension against your own priorities.
According to PlainRelocate's state Life Score composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA inputs), Delaware ranks #40 of 51 scored US states by Life Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 99.8 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,559/mo, median salary $71,613; Life Score 42.6/100 (F), strongest in wages and childcare.
Signature: Delaware lists 1 MSA; the state average is closer to a single-labor-market read.
Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 99.8 between corpus terciles 93.3 and 100.7. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent averages $1,559/mo statewide, against a BLS median salary of $71,613.
Composite Life Score 42.6/100 (F) puts Delaware in the bottom third (#40 of 51).
Metro book is thin (1 MSA); the statewide profile is closer to the labor market you will actually live in.
Life Score plate
Sheet DE · Delaware 42.6/100 · F · #40 of 51
LIFE-F · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · RPP-PAR · LEAD-WAGES · BOOK-FULL
- LIFE-F Life Score F
- RANK-LOWER #40/51
- PHOTO-FINISH ±0.3 pts
- RPP-PAR RPP 99.8
- LEAD-WAGES Lead · wages
- BOOK-FULL 7/7 dims
Nearest Life Score peer: Rhode Island (+ 0.3 pts)
Instrument codes from this state’s Life Score grade, corpus rank, peer gap, BEA RPP posture, lead dimension, and dimension book, not a moving recommendation.
Life Score neighbourhood around Delaware
Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest Delaware on composite Life Score. Full ladder: /rankings/.
Delaware childcare costs
DOL state-average center rates for Delaware (infant $11,172/yr leads the book).
Delaware Life Score breakdown
Delaware composites to 42.6/100 (F) across 7 of 7 dimensions; corpus place #40 of 51.
Delaware - Life Score dimensions
Percentile vs all US states (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)
- Wages
Wages
72 /100
- Childcare
Childcare
50 /100
- Schools
Schools
40 /100
- Cost of living
Cost of living
38 /100
- Safety
Safety
36 /100
- Environment
Environment
32 /100
- Rent 20
Rent
20 /100
What this shows Delaware's strongest dimensions are wages and childcare; its weakest among scored dims is rent at 20/100. Each dimension is a federal-data percentile; the composite folds 7 of 7 into one comparable figure.
States near Delaware on cost or Life Score
Nearest neighbors to Delaware on BEA RPP or composite Life Score, a different lens than the in-state metro list below.
Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)
Metros in Delaware
Explore detailed relocation data for 1 metropolitan area in Delaware. Delaware contains 1 metropolitan statistical area in our dataset - Dover - each with its own rent, wage and crime profile that can diverge sharply from the statewide average.
Dover metro · Compare metros · Cost vs quality · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Delaware cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Delaware wages and safety follow BLS OEWS and FBI UCR. Research use only, verify at the agency source before you move.