Delaware's FY2026 Budget Explained: $8.02 Billion and 35,475 Positions

Every summer, the General Assembly passes and the Governor signs a spending plan for the State of Delaware. For fiscal year 2026, that plan appropriates $8.02 billion and authorizes 35,475 state positions. Here is what that money pays for, how it has grown, and why it is less than half of what the state's checkbook actually shows going out the door.

From $5.20 billion to $8.02 billion in nine years

Delaware's appropriated budget has grown every single year since FY2018 — from $5.20 billion then to $8.02 billion now, a 54% increase. The growth has been steady rather than spiky: roughly $5.37 billion in FY2019, $5.59 billion in FY2020, $5.67 billion in FY2021, $5.89 billion in FY2022, $6.27 billion in FY2023, $6.83 billion in FY2024 and $7.49 billion in FY2025.

Source: Annual Appropriated Expense and Positions Budgets, State of Delaware Open Data Portal.

Headcount has grown far more slowly than dollars. The budget authorizes 35,475 positions in FY2026 — teachers, troopers, nurses, prison guards, engineers and office staff — up from 32,267 in FY2018. That is about 3,200 additional positions, or 9.9% growth over eight years, while the money budgeted grew more than five times as fast. In plain terms: state government is a little bigger than it was, but everything it does costs a lot more.

Delaware's budget by department

More than half of the entire budget goes to just two departments. Education — which covers the state's share of public school funding, teacher salaries and school transportation — takes $2.40 billion, or about 30 cents of every budgeted dollar. Health and Social Services, home of Medicaid and the state's social safety net, takes $1.93 billion, or about 24 cents. The top ten departments account for the vast majority of the $8.02 billion:

The biggest appropriations: people first

Budgets are divided into spending lines called appropriations, and Delaware's largest by far is Personnel Costs at roughly $3.24 billion — about 40% of the entire budget. State government is a people business: most of what it delivers, from classrooms to courtrooms to nursing homes, is delivered by employees.

The next-largest appropriation is Medicaid at about $1.09 billion, the state share of the health coverage program for low-income Delawareans. Other major lines include Contractual Services ($431.5 million), Debt Service ($281.0 million), Public School Transportation ($187.0 million) and the Salary/OEC Contingency reserve ($175.2 million).

One thing that surprises people: the budgeted Medicaid line is far smaller than what actually gets spent on Medicaid. That brings us to the difference between the budget and the checkbook.

Why the checkbook shows $17.03 billion, not $8.02 billion

If you have seen our FY2026 spending breakdown, you know Delaware's checkbook recorded $17.03 billion in actual payments — more than double the budget. Both numbers are correct; they simply measure different things.

The budget is the plan. It is what the legislature appropriates ahead of time, and about 82% of it comes from the General Fund — the state's main checking account, fed by personal income tax, the franchise tax on corporations and other state revenue. The rest is split between Appropriated Special Funds (about 12%) and the Transportation Trust Fund (about 6%).

The checkbook is what actually moved. It captures every payment the state issued, including federal funds (Delaware took in $3.60 billion in federal money in FY2026), special funds like tolls and fees, capital money, and pass-through flows — dollars the state collects and immediately sends on to school districts, vendors and beneficiaries. Medicaid is the clearest example: the budget shows the state's roughly $1.09 billion appropriation, while the checkbook shows $3.59 billion in Medicaid facility payments because federal matching money flows through the state's accounts too. The same is true for payroll: the checkbook's $1.09 billion in salary and wage payments sits inside the broader $3.24 billion personnel appropriation, which also covers benefits and other employment costs.

Frequently asked questions

How big is Delaware's FY2026 budget?

The appropriated expense budget is $8.02 billion — up 54% from $5.20 billion in FY2018 — and it funds 35,475 authorized positions.

How many state employees does Delaware have?

The FY2026 budget authorizes 35,475 positions, up from 32,267 in FY2018 — about 3,200 more, or 9.9% growth over eight years. These are authorized positions, which include some that may be vacant at any given time.

Which department gets the most money?

Education, at $2.40 billion (29.9% of the budget), followed by Health and Social Services at $1.93 billion (24.1%). Together they account for 54% of all appropriated spending.

Where can I see the budget line by line?

Use our interactive budget explorer, or browse the state's raw data on data.delaware.gov.