Delaware Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Delaware loss cost for electrical workers comp, class 0661 (Electrical Wiring), is $1.240 per $100 of payroll (effective December 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.86.
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 code for electrical
- 0661: Electrical Wiring
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.
Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.
What comp costs per electrician in Delaware
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 2,260 electricians on payrolls in Delaware (May 2025), the 49th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $30.63 an hour, in line with the US median of $30.38.
Electricians make up about the same share of Delaware jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.96).
At a typical Delaware premium of about $1.86 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.24 for class 0661 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.57 for every hour worked, or $1,185 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,370 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Delaware pay runs from $18.40 an hour at the 10th percentile to $50.64 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.34 an hour on a new hire and $0.94 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
- New Jersey: about $3.84 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $2.04 per $100 of payroll
Delaware has the lowest electrical 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 electrical comp bill
- Electrical is one of the cheaper construction classes, so overstated payroll often costs more than the rate itself. Estimate payroll honestly at renewal and true it up at audit.
- Ladder falls and shocks are the typical claims. Lockout and tagout procedures that are actually followed are what keep the experience mod under 1.0.
- Low-voltage, alarm, and solar work can carry different class codes in some states. Ask your agent before you add those lines to the business.
- Office staff and estimators who stay out of the field can usually be rated as clerical. Keep their hours off the field timesheets.