A state report published in 2021 revealed that Delaware devoted $8.2 billion over the previous year to health care spending, amounting to $8,424 per capital. This is on top of the 8.5 percent increase seen in 2019, and illustrates the state’s commitment to its residents for quality health care. Chief among these expenditures were those for medical and health services manager salaries, which amounted to nearly $133 million according to US Bureau of Labor (BLS) statistics published in 2020.
Growth in the state’s health care sector is managed and overseen by the ranks of healthcare administrators employed by both private and public medical systems in the state, and their efforts are well-rewarded. Delaware is in the top-10 states nationwide when it comes to average salaries for medical and health service managers.
Job Growth Projections in Delaware’s Healthcare Administration Field
A report on demographic changes in Delaware published by the Delaware State Treasurer’s Office noted that the aging of the population in the state is more pronounced than in the country as a whole. The growing number of senior citizens calling Delaware home will require an enhanced level of care and are expected to increase the demand placed on healthcare facilities, particularly acute care hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and clinics.
Hospitals are the primary employers of healthcare administrators in the country according to the BLS. Delaware’s hospitals may need to expand the specialized care they offer including oncological, cardiac, and geriatric treatment in order to accommodate this growing population of aging citizens.
The 18.5 percent job growth rate forecast by the Delaware Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information for healthcare administrators over the decade leading up to 2028 will result in about 110 job openings per year across the state. These openings will come from a combination of new positions opening up and turnover in existing positions, scattered among hospitals, clinics, and other care facilities across the state.
One example of that growth comes from Bayhealth’s new Milford health campus project, a $300 million investment that the company expects to support almost 2,000 jobs during construction alone.
Healthcare Administrator Salaries in Delaware
In 2020, the annual median salary in Delaware for healthcare administrators was $111,930 according to the BLS. As you can see, that number exceeds the median for Dover, the only measured demographic region in the state, which is only good news for administrators scattered through the rest of the Delaware. For the state as a whole, administrators in the 75th percentile make over $150,000 a year.
Dover
- 25th percentile: $81,200
- Median: $99,360
- 90th percentile: $176,130
Further details on salary and employment in the Dover metropolitan area:
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from the Delaware Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.