Delaware’s unemployment rate drops again in May.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.1% in May, down from 5.3% in April. It’s the second straight month the jobless rate has dropped.
It’s also the lowest rate in the state since last August when it stood at 5.0%, but it’s still higher than in May 2025 when the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.5%.
The national rate remained unchanged from both April and May 2025 at 4.3%.
The area unemployment rates – which are not seasonally adjusted – were all lower last month than in April.
The state also saw a boost in wages and overtime for private sector workers in May. They earned an average of $33.21 per hour - up $0.54 or 1.7 percent from May 2025.
That still lags behind the national number of $37.46 which is an increase of $1.26 over the year.
Financial Activities workers had the highest average hourly earnings at $43.21 followed by Construction at $38.86 and Professional and Business Services at $38.46.
There were 26,000 unemployed Delawareans, up from May 2025 when there were 23,400. But that’s still a decrease from April when there were 27,100 unemployed Delawareans.
Adjusted nonfarm employment was up last month in Delaware to 496,600, an increase of 2,000 from April.
Since May 2025, that number has dropped by 600, which is a 0.1% decrease. Nationally, job growth is up 0.3% in the same period.
In the last month and over the last year, Professional and Business Services lead the charge with the biggest gain in jobs locally.
Meanwhile, in the last month Construction has seen the biggest losses while the Leisure and Hospitality industry has seen the biggest losses over the year.
