Delaware travel nurse pay 2026: $101,219, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Delaware
Travel RN contracts in Delaware post an average base of $101,219 annualised — level with the national travel average of $101,132, and 15th of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Delaware compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Delaware average $99,460, 15th of 51 states and DC, against a $101,219 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. Delaware salary guide.
Licensing for a Delaware assignment
Delaware is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a Delaware assignment with no separate application, which is why Delaware can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The Delaware Board of Nursing charges $95 and quotes 3–5 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Delaware income tax: graduated to 6.6%, charged on wages earned in Delaware wherever your tax home is — so compare a Delaware contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Delaware state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Delaware's travel markets are Wilmington, Dover. Regional price parity is 102.4 against a national 100, so Delaware costs run 2.4% above average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Delaware demand
Small state with concentrated employment around ChristianaCare; proximity to Philadelphia and Baltimore creates regional wage pull.
Ratio law: Delaware has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so staffing levels are set by each hospital rather than by statute. For a traveller that cuts both ways: there is no legal floor on the assignment you can be given, so the ratio you are quoted at interview is worth getting in writing, and it is worth asking what the unit runs at on nights and weekends rather than what the daytime policy says.
Timing a Delaware contract
What moves Delaware rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Wilmington, Dover, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Delaware's $101,219 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Delaware contract
Get the Delaware license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Delaware?
About $101,219 annualised posted base, level with the national $101,132 and 15th of 51.
Do I need a Delaware license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers Delaware.
Are Delaware travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Delaware
Maryland · Pennsylvania · New Jersey · Virginia.
Related Delaware guides
Delaware RN salary · Delaware licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.