2026 Tax Year · Single Filer · Delaware

$17 an Hour in Delaware — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $17/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $35,360. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Delaware state income tax, your take-home pay is $14.04/hr. In Delaware's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Delaware.

Gross Annual
$35,360
Net Annual
$29,196
Net Monthly
$2,433
Net Hourly
$14.04

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $17.00 $2.96 $14.04
Daily (8 hrs) $136.00 $23.71 $112.29
Weekly (40 hrs) $680.00 $118.54 $561.46
Biweekly $1,360.00 $237.07 $1,122.93
Monthly $2,946.67 $513.65 $2,433.01
Annual $35,360 $6,164 $29,196

Full Tax Breakdown — Delaware, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $17/hr × 2,080 hrs $35,360
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $19,260
Federal Income Tax 5.8% −$2,063.20
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,192.32
Medicare (1.45%) −$512.72
Delaware Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$3,250
Delaware State Income Tax 3.9% −$1,395.61
Total Tax 17.4% effective −$6,163.84
Net Take-Home $29,196

How Does Delaware Compare?

See how $17/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

State State Tax Net Monthly Net Annual
California $588.78 $2,500/mo $30,003 Florida None $2,549/mo $30,592 New York $1,173.65 $2,452/mo $29,418 Texas None $2,549/mo $30,592 Washington None $2,549/mo $30,592
Open Full Calculator for Delaware — $17/hr →

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$17/hr = $35,360/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

$35,360 salary in Delaware — full breakdown $35,360 after tax in Delaware $35,360 salary to hourly Delaware paycheck calculator

Adjacent Rates in Delaware

$14/hr in Delaware$15/hr in Delaware$16/hr in Delaware$18/hr in Delaware$19/hr in Delaware$20/hr in Delaware

Same Rate, Other States

$17/hr in Alabama$17/hr in Alaska$17/hr in Arizona$17/hr in Arkansas$17/hr in California$17/hr in Colorado

Cost of Living in Delaware

✗ Difficult — $17/hr falls short in Delaware
  • Avg 1BR rent in Wilmington: $1,250/mo — over the 30% rule (42% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Delaware: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $29,196 ($12,804 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$17/hr

Working at $17/hr in Delaware

Delaware's combination of no sales tax, moderate income tax (2.2–6.6%), and proximity to Philadelphia and DC job markets makes this a competitive wage. Wilmington's cost of living is meaningfully lower than the major Northeast metros.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 90 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Wilmington (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.1x Delaware's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Delaware is 17.4% -- federal income tax accounts for 5.8%, FICA 7.6%, and Delaware state tax 3.9%.

Delaware punches above its weight economically due to its business-friendly incorporation laws — most Fortune 500 companies are incorporated here. Finance, legal services, and pharmaceuticals (AstraZeneca HQ) are the main employers.

Delaware has no sales tax, which is a meaningful benefit for consumer spending. State income tax runs 2.2%–6.6%. No local income taxes.

Delaware's minimum wage is $15.00/hr (2026).

Monthly Budget on $17/hr in Delaware

Based on $2,433/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Delaware's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,250 $15,000 51.4%
Food (groceries + dining) $292 $3,504 12.0%
Transportation $243 $2,916 10.0%
Utilities $146 $1,752 6.0%
Healthcare $122 $1,464 5.0%
Entertainment $122 $1,464 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $243 $2,916 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $15 $180 0.6%

Overtime Pay — $17/hr in Delaware

At time-and-a-half ($25.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Delaware. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.0%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $128 $103 $5,150
10 hrs/week $255 $207 $10,350
20 hrs/week $510 $413 $20,650

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $17/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $14.04 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 3 hrs 3.6 hrs
Week of groceries $120 7.1 hrs 8.6 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 47 hrs 57 hrs
1 month rent (Wilmington) $1,250 73.6 hrs 89.1 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 588.3 hrs 712.5 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2823.6 hrs 3419.7 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

17 an hour -- is it a good wage in Delaware?

17/hr in Delaware gives you $29,196/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Delaware. Avg 1BR rent in Wilmington: $1,250/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 17 an hour after taxes in Delaware?

17/hr in Delaware = $29,196/year or $2,433/month net. Effective rate: 17.4%.

How does 17/hr go further -- Delaware or Texas?

17/hr in Delaware has similar purchasing power to ~17/hr in Texas.

What does 17/hr look like as a monthly budget in Delaware?

On $2,433/month in Delaware: rent $1,250, food $292, transport $243, savings $243, surplus ~$15.

How much does overtime add at 17/hr in Delaware?

At 1.5x (25.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,150/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$10,350/year.