Delaware Flooring Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Delaware loss cost for flooring workers comp, class 0670 (House Furnishings Installation, N.O.C.), is $3.170 per $100 of payroll (effective December 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.75.

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 flooring

0648: Carpentry - Installation of Cabinet Work, Finished Wooden Flooring or Interior Trim
0670: House Furnishings Installation, N.O.C.
0668: Tile, Stone, Mosaic or Terrazzo Work - Interior Construction Only

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.

Flooring carries knee injury, back strain, silica dust from cutting tile or concrete, and adhesive vapor risks.

What comp costs per flooring installer in Delaware

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 70 carpet installers on payrolls in Delaware (May 2025), the 31st largest workforce of the 40 states with published figures. The median wage is $24.21 an hour, in line with the US median of $24.20.

This trade is a bigger part of the Delaware job market than it is nationally: carpet installers hold 1.7 times their national share of jobs there.

At a typical Delaware premium of about $4.75 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.17 for class 0670 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.15 for every hour worked, or $2,392 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $4,784 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Delaware pay runs from $17.46 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.43 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.83 an hour on a new hire and $1.40 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 $8.71 per $100 of payroll
Pennsylvania: about $5.09 per $100 of payroll

Delaware has the lowest flooring 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 flooring comp bill

Floor installers file knee, back, and repetitive-strain claims more than falls. Kneepads and lifting aids are cheap ways to keep the experience mod down.
Tile, hardwood, and carpet installation can be separate classes in some states. If your crews do several, record payroll by type of work.
Many flooring shops pay installers by the square foot as 1099 subs. If they cannot show their own coverage, the auditor counts what you pay them as your payroll.
Showroom and sales staff who do not install can usually be rated as sales or clerical when their duties are documented.