Delaware Concrete Workers Comp Rates 2026: Class Code, Cost

Concrete workers comp in Delaware 2026: the state's class code, rate, cost per worker from BLS wages, and neighboring states.

Delaware Concrete Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Delaware loss cost for concrete workers comp, class 0608 (Flat Cement Work), is $1.930 per $100 of payroll (effective December 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.90.

A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.

Delaware class codes for concrete

  • 0608: Flat Cement Work
  • 0654: Concrete Construction

Delaware uses its own classification codes (largely the same numbering as Pennsylvania, e.g. 659 Roofing) and gives construction employers a wage-based premium credit through the Delaware Construction Classification Premium Adjustment Program instead of using NCCI codes.

Concrete work involves heavy lifting, silica dust from cutting and grinding, skin burns from wet cement, and equipment hazards from mixers, vibrators and pumps.

What comp costs per concrete finisher in Delaware

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 400 cement masons and concrete finishers on payrolls in Delaware (May 2025), the 46th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $27.42 an hour, in line with the US median of $27.41.

This trade is a smaller part of the Delaware job market than it is nationally: cement masons and concrete finishers hold 0.62 times their national share of jobs there.

At a typical Delaware premium of about $2.90 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.93 for class 0608 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.80 for every hour worked, or $1,654 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $6,616 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Delaware pay runs from $21.22 an hour at the 10th percentile to $38.11 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.62 an hour on a new hire and $1.11 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Delaware

  • Coverage required: 1 employee; construction workers cannot be classified as independent contractors
  • Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; may elect in
  • State fund: Private market (Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau residual market)
  • Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive from day one if disability reaches 7 days
  • Penalty for going without: Fine up to three times the annual premium owed, plus $10 per employee per day

Delaware statutorily deems construction crews employees, so they cannot be 1099'd out of the coverage mandate.

Delaware vs neighboring states

Delaware has the lowest concrete comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more per $100 of payroll.

If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.

What moves a concrete comp bill

  • Concrete classes depend on the work: flatwork and driveways often rate differently from foundations and structural pours. Getting the class right is the first saving.
  • Back and crush injuries from forms, rebar, and pump hoses drive claims. A short pre-pour safety check on every job helps your mod over three years.
  • Concrete crews often hire short-term labor during the pour season. Every worker you pay counts at audit, so keep clean payroll records for temporary hires.
  • Owner-operators who pour alone can often exclude themselves; the rules vary by state, so check before you skip coverage.

Related Delaware Concrete pages