Delaware Minimum Wage 2026: $15.00, With No Increase Scheduled for 2027
Delaware’s minimum wage is $15.00 an hour, in effect since January 1, 2025. It was the final step of the increases written into 19 Del. C. § 902, and the statute has no inflation indexing, so no increase is scheduled for 2027; the rate changes only if the General Assembly passes a new law or the federal minimum rises above $15.00. Tipped employees can be paid a cash wage of $2.23 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.00. There is no youth or small-employer rate, and no city or county rate to track.
Delaware at a glance
| Current rate | $15.00 / hour |
|---|---|
| Effective | January 1, 2025 |
| Tipped cash wage | $2.23 / hour ($12.77 maximum tip credit) |
| Next scheduled change | None; the statute is not indexed, so any change needs new legislation |
| Local rates | None; $15.00 applies statewide |
| Youth or training rate | None; learner and apprentice rates only by Department of Labor regulation |
How Delaware sets its minimum wage
The rate is written into the statute rather than set by an agency formula. 19 Del. C. § 902(a) lists the schedule: $9.25 until January 1, 2022, then $10.50, $11.75 on January 1, 2023, $13.25 on January 1, 2024 and $15.00 on January 1, 2025. That is the last entry. The same subsection says that if the federal minimum wage is ever set above the state rate, Delaware’s minimum becomes equal to the federal one.
Because there is no indexing clause, a future Delaware increase would take a new act of the General Assembly, which convenes each January. As of 24 September 2026 the Delaware Code still shows $15.00 as the current and final scheduled rate.
Tipped employees
Employers may count tips toward the minimum wage for employees who customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips, but the cash wage can never be less than $2.23 an hour (§ 902(b) and (c)). The U.S. Department of Labor’s tipped wage table lists the resulting maximum tip credit as $12.77. If tips plus the cash wage fall short of $15.00 for the hours worked, the employer makes up the difference.
Delaware also protects the tips themselves. A gratuity belongs to the primary direct service employee. Employees may set up their own tip pool; if more than one direct service employee serves the same customer, the employer can require a pool, but not one that takes more than 15% of the primary server’s tips. A mandatory service charge belongs to the staff unless the menu or bill clearly says it goes to management.
Local rates and exceptions
There is no separate minimum wage for Wilmington, Dover or any county, and none we found in any Delaware locality: $15.00 applies statewide.
- No youth rate. The statute has no lower rate for minors or new hires. Minors are paid $15.00 like everyone else.
- Learners and apprentices. Under § 906, the Department of Labor may allow a lower wage for learners and apprentices, but only through regulations adopted after a public hearing. An employer cannot set a training wage on its own.
- Federal overlap. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act pay whichever minimum is higher, which in Delaware is the state’s $15.00.
What this means for hiring
$15.00 is the floor, not the going rate for most frontline roles in Delaware, where employers compete with Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey for the same commuters. What changes whether someone applies is the number in the first line of the ad. Delaware’s pay transparency law will require a pay range in postings from employers with 26 or more employees from September 26, 2027; see Delaware labor laws for employers for that and the break, overtime and final pay rules. To see what a hire costs at the wage you actually pay, use our employee cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Delaware in 2026?
$15.00 an hour, unchanged since January 1, 2025, under 19 Del. C. 902. It applies statewide with no regional or county rates. Tipped employees can be paid $2.23 an hour in cash as long as tips bring total pay to at least $15.00 for every hour worked.
Is Delaware raising its minimum wage in 2027?
Not under current law. The statute’s schedule ended with $15.00 on January 1, 2025 and contains no inflation adjustment, so the rate stays at $15.00 on January 1, 2027 unless the General Assembly enacts an increase or the federal minimum rises above it. The Delaware Code still showed $15.00 as the final scheduled rate on 24 September 2026.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Delaware?
$2.23 an hour in cash, for employees who customarily receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer can count tips toward the rest of the $15.00 minimum, a tip credit of up to $12.77, but must make up any shortfall. Tips belong to the direct service employee, and an employer-required tip pool cannot take more than 15% of the primary server’s tips.
Does Delaware have a youth or training minimum wage?
No. Delaware’s minimum wage law sets one rate for all ages, so a 16-year-old is owed $15.00 an hour. The only exception is for learners and apprentices, and only where the Department of Labor has adopted a regulation allowing a lower rate after a public hearing. Employers cannot create a training rate on their own.
Do Delaware cities or counties have their own minimum wage?
No. We found no local minimum wage anywhere in Delaware, so the state rate of $15.00 applies in Wilmington, Dover, Newark and every county. That makes Delaware simpler than neighboring Maryland, where Montgomery, Howard and Prince George’s counties set their own higher rates.
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