Delaware State Spending in FY2026: Where Your $17.03 Billion Goes

In fiscal year 2026, the State of Delaware wrote checks worth $17.03 billion — roughly $46.7 million every day, or about $16,100 for each of the state's estimated 1.06 million residents. Here is where it went, in plain English, using the state's own published checkbook.

Nine years of growth in one chart

Delaware's checkbook has grown every single year since FY2018, from $10.24 billion to $17.03 billion. The sharpest jumps came in FY2021 and FY2022, when federal pandemic-era money flowed through the state's accounts.

Source: State of Delaware Checkbook, aggregated from 13.3 million payment records.

Which departments spend the money

Two departments account for more than half of every dollar Delaware spends. The Department of Health & Social Services wrote $4.90 billion in checks (28.8% of all payments), driven by Medicaid — the state's single largest expense account, "MEDFAC expenses," totaled $3.59 billion on its own. The Department of Education followed at $4.08 billion (24.0%).

For every $1 Delaware spent in FY2026: 29¢ health & social services, 24¢ education, 10¢ human resources, 8¢ executive agencies, 6¢ transportation — 23¢ everything else.

Who actually receives the money

Most of Delaware's spending is payroll and benefits for its roughly 35,475 authorized positions — "Employee Compensation" ($3.21 billion) and "Other Employment Costs/Benefits" ($1.91 billion) top the recipient list. But the single largest outside vendor is Gainwell Technologies LLC, which runs the state's Medicaid technology and claims operations and was paid $3.65 billion in FY2026 — including the year's biggest single check, $121.7 million.

Other big names: Highmark Health Services ($777.9 million, state employee health coverage), Northern Trust ($611.4 million, pension and investment custody) and CVS Pharmacy ($320.9 million, employee prescription benefits).

What the money bought

Drilling into the state's expense accounts for FY2026 shows the real shape of the budget: Medicaid facility expenses ($3.59 billion), employer medical coverage ($1.55 billion), salaries and wages ($1.09 billion), teacher pay ($868.5 million) and the employer share of pensions ($815.3 million) round out the top five.

Where the money comes from

Spending this size needs matching revenue. In FY2026 Delaware collected $7.02 billion in General Fund revenue — led by personal income tax withholding and the state's famous franchise tax on corporations — plus $6.82 billion in Special Funds, $3.60 billion in Federal funds and $407 million in Capital funds.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Delaware spend per year?

In FY2026, Delaware issued $17.03 billion in checks and payments — about $46.7 million per day, up 66% from $10.24 billion in FY2018.

What is Delaware's biggest expense?

Health care. The Department of Health & Social Services is the largest check-writer at $4.90 billion in FY2026, and Medicaid facility expenses ($3.59 billion) are the single largest expense account.

Who is Delaware's biggest vendor?

Gainwell Technologies LLC, the state's Medicaid technology vendor, at $3.65 billion in FY2026.

Can I look up a specific payment?

Yes — every check is public. Use our interactive checkbook explorer, or the state's raw dataset on data.delaware.gov.