Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Dover, DE MSA — October 2026
Dover's jobless rate lags Delaware's statewide gains.
Kent County unemployment held at 5.5% in August versus 4.5% in Sussex County, while Delaware's statewide rate fell for a sixth straight month to 4.6% in September.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Kent County unemployment: 5.5% — vs 4.5% Sussex, 4.9% New Castle County (Aug. 2026)
- Delaware statewide unemployment: 4.6% — Sixth straight monthly decline, vs 4.2% national
- Government sector employment, Dover MSA: 20.9K jobs — Largest metro sector; state shed 500 govt jobs in Sept.
- Delaware average weekly wage growth: 3.1% YoY — Ranks 39th nationally in wage growth pace
Key takeaways
Kent County lags the rest of Delaware on unemployment.
August's 5.5% county rate sits a full percentage point above Sussex County's 4.5% and half a point above New Castle's 4.9%, suggesting Dover's labor market recovery is uneven even as state headlines improve. Commerce leaders citing statewide unemployment gains should note the county-level divergence before extrapolating to local conditions.
Government payroll softness is a Dover-specific risk.
Government employs roughly 20.9 thousand in the Dover MSA, the metro's largest sector, so the state's September loss of 500 government positions (400 at the state level) lands harder here than in New Castle or Sussex counties. Public-sector stability, long a steadying force for Dover's economy, bears closer watching than in prior months.
Manufacturing wages are rising locally against a national backdrop of stagnation.
Manufacturing production worker advertised pay in the metro moved up moderately to $36,275 while the national median held flat at $39,520, a divergence that may reflect tightening local supply in a sector state data shows added jobs statewide even as nondurable goods (poultry processing) declined. Worth tracking as a signal of whether Dover's industrial base is strengthening relative to the state average.
Skilled trades pay is softening in Dover while the nation moves the opposite direction.
Electrician advertised pay fell significantly to $57,025 locally even as the national median climbed to $71,835, and HVAC technician pay dropped moderately to $63,440 against a rising national figure. The gap is wide enough to warrant scrutiny of whether it reflects softer local construction and trades demand or a data composition shift; a single month's figures alone do not support a firm conclusion.
Median advertised pay by role — Dover, DE MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $26,578 | $31,484 | $34,320 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $27,974 | $31,328 | $33,280 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,304 | $35,589 | $37,696 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $61,122 | $83,522 | $91,973 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,663 | $34,394 | $39,520 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $34,753 | $37,440 | $39,688 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $48,089 | $57,025 | $64,626 | Significant decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,619 | $36,275 | $37,389 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,461 | $37,474 | $41,600 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $29,903 | $35,526 | $35,880 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $30,013 | $35,843 | $39,520 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,741 | $40,051 | $43,751 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,160 | $63,440 | $67,600 | Moderate decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $84,781 | $96,373 | $104,816 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $129,619 | $163,981 | $179,616 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $111,552 | $141,574 | $153,261 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $56,225 | $66,276 | $74,812 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $73,407 | $97,166 | $106,307 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $61,604 | $87,207 | $107,262 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $50,615 | $79,594 | $97,820 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $67,500 | $67,500 | $67,500 | No data | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $37,440 | $54,597 | $60,560 | Significant decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $76,439 | $103,011 | $117,198 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $80,334 | $95,990 | $105,310 | Moderate increase | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $70,000 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $109,154 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $55,612 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $66,546 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $144,249 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $97,979 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $82,495 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $72,146 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,850 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $55,597 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Kent County's unemployment rate held at an elevated 5.5% in August, the highest of Delaware's three counties and nearly a full point above Sussex County's 4.5%, even as statewide unemployment fell for a sixth straight month to 4.6% in September. Government remains the Dover MSA's largest employment sector at roughly 20.9 thousand jobs, so the state's September government payroll loss of 500 positions (400 at the state level) carries disproportionate weight in a metro economy still anchored to public-sector employment.
What it means
Dover's persistent unemployment gap relative to New Castle and Sussex counties signals a labor market that has not fully absorbed available workers despite low statewide joblessness, a pattern commerce leaders should read as slack when evaluating local expansion timing. State government payroll contraction matters more in Kent County than elsewhere in Delaware given government's outsized share of metro employment, making public-sector budget and staffing decisions a leading indicator for overall local economic health here. Current conditions suggest monitoring state fiscal announcements and county-level unemployment divergence as an early signal before drawing conclusions from statewide headline numbers alone.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Kent County's unemployment rate narrows toward the state average in the next county-level release due in coming weeks; continued divergence would point to structural weakness in Dover's labor absorption relative to New Castle and Sussex.
Policy-relevant signal: State government shed 500 jobs in September with 400 at the state level; any further contraction in Delaware's FY2027 budget planning would weigh disproportionately on Dover given government's status as the metro's largest employment sector.
Worth watching: Delaware's labor force has shrunk for multiple consecutive months even as unemployment falls, a combination that can flatter the headline rate. Commerce leaders evaluating local expansion should track labor force participation alongside unemployment for a clearer read on available workforce capacity.
Emerging pressure point: Local electrician and HVAC advertised pay are moving down while national figures rise, a divergence worth confirming against Q4 data before treating it as a durable signal of softening local construction and trades demand.
Sources
- Delaware Department of Labor — Kent County unemployment at 5.5% in August 2026, vs 4.9% New Castle, 4.5% Sussex
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Delaware statewide unemployment fell to 4.6% in September, sixth straight monthly decline
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Dover MSA government sector employs approximately 20.9 thousand workers
- Delaware Department of Labor — Delaware state government shed 500 jobs in September, 400 at state level
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Delaware average weekly wages rose 3.1% year-over-year to $1,606, ranked 39th in wage growth
- Delaware Business Times — Delaware's labor force has contracted for multiple consecutive months
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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