Delaware
What annual income is considered middle class? Does your income make the cut in Delaware
How does your income compare to others?
Persistent economic headwinds from 2022 continue to financially challenge many American households in 2023.
Money Talks News
Being considered middle class has gotten more expensive over the years, including Delaware households.
A recent report from GOBankingRates found the median range for middle class income across the country is between $52,000 and $98,500 in 2024, depending on what state you live in.
While the current national minimum would have declared you middle class in Delaware 10 years ago, it no longer meets the minimum income to be middle class in the First State. It has gone up 32% higher in that time.
Delaware’s annual median household income of $79,325 is higher than the national median of $75,149, according to the Census Bureau. And so is the range for middle class consideration.
What is middle class in Delaware?
The middle class is a socioeconomic group that falls between the working class and the upper class. They are likely to have enough disposable income to afford eating out and vacationing, but also rely on loans for their homes, cars and student loans, according to Investopia.
According to GOBankingRates, Delaware’s middle-class income in 2022 (the most recent year available from Census data) was between $52,883 and $158,650 — a 32% change from 10 years prior; in 2012, it fell between $40,079 and $120,238.
So, someone working for minimum wage — $13.25 in Delaware — would need to work 40 hours a week, plus an additional 24 hours per week at overtime rate to just crack the middle-class range of $52,883 annually. A family of two people working for minimum wage would need to work 40 hours each, with one person working an additional 3.8 hours of overtime per week for the household to reach that same middle-class threshold.
Delaware’s median household income is $79,325 according to the Census Bureau.
- Median household income: $79,325
- Lowest end of middle class income: $52,883
- Highest end of middle class income: $158,650
Delaware’s median income and middle class range still faired better than it’s neighbors, Maryland and New Jersey, which ranked with the two highest income requirements for middle class status.
Highest median household incomes in the U.S.
- Maryland income range: $65,641 to $196,922
- New Jersey income range: $64,751 to $194,252
- Massachusetts income range: $64,337 to $193,010
- Hawaii income range: $63,209 to $189,628
- California income range: $61,270 to $183,810
- New Hampshire income range: $60,563 to $181,690
- Washington income range: $60,217 to $180,650
- Connecticut income range: $60,142 to $180,426
- Colorado income range: $58,399 to $175,196
- Virginia income range: $58,166 to $174,498
Delaware
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Delaware
Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas
RADNOR, Pa. – Authorities say a Delaware County school employee is accused of traveling to Texas to sexually assault a minor he met online.
What we know:
Michael Robinson, 43, was taken into custody near Radnor Middle School where investigators say he worked as a paraprofessional.
Investigators believe Robinson traveled to Tyler, Texas in the summer of 2024 to meet a minor he had connected with online.
Robinson, according to U.S. Marshals, allegedly sexually assaulted the teen over the course of a weekend.
Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas
Prosecutors in Smith County, Texas charged Robinson in December with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under 15-years-old.
Robinson is being held at a Delaware County jail where he is awaiting extradition to Texas.
What they’re saying:
U.S. Marshals in Pennsylvania said Robinson’s arrest shows that “sexual predators will always be pursued relentlessly.”
The Radnor Township School District said Robinson has been placed on leave and will not have contact with students.
“Parents of the limited number of children to whom the employee was assigned were contacted by the administration immediately.”
The district said it is cooperating with law enforcement and has “no information indicating misconduct involving district students.”
Delaware
Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm
Lewes Polar Bear Plunge in Rehoboth Beach
Participants flock to the water at the Lewes Polar Bear Plunge, which raises funds for Special Olympics Delaware on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
Rehoboth Beach has canceled the upcoming 2026 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge as the Sussex County resort town continues dealing with the aftermath of last weekend’s snowstorm, organizers of the annual Special Olympics fundraiser said on Feb. 26.
“Rehoboth Beach is navigating significant challenges because of the snowstorm,” a Special Olympics Delaware email announced. “At present, the boardwalk and all beach crossings remain snow covered and many sidewalks throughout downtown Rehoboth are as well.”
The plunge and 5K had been rescheduled to March 1 after severe weather conditions in late January caused it to be moved from its original Feb. 1 date.
The plunge will not be rescheduled for this year.
Last weekend’s storm brought nearly 2 feet of snow to parts of Sussex, closing hundreds of roads when trees and wires were downed. There were also power outages across the county, including Rehoboth Beach which had to restore power to its wastewater treatment facility.
Plunging for a cause
The polar bear plunge is one of Special Olympics Delaware’s more popular fundraisers, drawing more than 4,000 participants last year.
In recent years, the event has been bringing in more than a million dollars for Special Olympics Delaware. Last year, plunge events drew $1.3 million, just shy of the record-breaking $1.5 million raised in 2024.
Alex Seymore, Special Olympics Delaware’s director of digital media, said the organization had already raised more than $1 million from this year’s event.
“We expect a small impact,” Seymore told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “But again, we’re showing that we’ve raised over a million dollars.
He added they are reviewing how the cancelation will impact them and their services.
“It’s been just a couple hours, so we’re not completely positive how it will impact things in the long run,” he said. “We’re thankful for everybody that’s helped raise this money through this time.”
What is still occurring
While the plunge and 5k and been canceled this year, there are other indoor events that will continue as scheduled:
Feb. 27
- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
Feb. 28
- noon to 2 p.m. Fire & Ice in the Atlantic Sands Ballroom, 1 Baltimore Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
- 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Restaurant chili contest.
- 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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