Burlington, NC metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a forklift operator make in Burlington, NC?

In the Burlington, NC metropolitan area, forklift operators earned a median of $44,910 a year ($21.59 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 590 of these jobs there. That is 2% above the $44,010 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $36,920 and $63,610; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and North Carolina tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $36,982 in take-home pay.

Forklift operator pay in Burlington, NC at a glance

Median salary

$44,910$21.59 per hour · $3,743 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$36,920$17.75/hr
25th percentile$40,500$19.47/hr
75th percentile$58,450$28.10/hr
90th percentile$63,610$30.58/hr
Jobs in this metro590Location quotient 1.75 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here2% aboveAll-jobs median $44,010
Against North Carolina3% aboveStatewide median $43,420
Against the U.S.3% belowNational median $46,420

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Forklift operator salary in Burlington, NC after taxes

$44,910
$15,000$90,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$44,910
Net 82%
Fed 7%
NC 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$36,982After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,082Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,422Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,209 / yr
North Carolina state income tax$1,283 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,436 / yr

Forklift operators pay range in Burlington, NC, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Burlington, NC metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What forklift operators earned in the Burlington, NC metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NC)
10th percentile$17.75/hr$3,077$36,920$30,881
25th percentile$19.47/hr$3,375$40,500$33,615
MedianMedian$21.59/hr$3,743$44,910$36,982
75th percentile$28.10/hr$4,871$58,450$47,321
90th percentile$30.58/hr$5,301$63,610$51,261

Is $44,910 a good salary in Burlington, NC?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for forklift operators next to both.

Median household income$65,651Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)93.26.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household68.4%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Forklift operator pay in Burlington, NC: common questions

What is the median salary for forklift operators in Burlington, NC?

The BLS median annual wage for forklift operators in the Burlington, NC metro area was $44,910 in May 2025, about $3,743 a month or $21.59 an hour. Statewide, the North Carolina median for this job is $43,420, so the metro pays 3% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for forklift operators in Burlington, NC?

The median hourly wage for forklift operators in Burlington, NC was $21.59 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.75 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.58.

How many forklift operators work in Burlington, NC?

BLS estimated 590 jobs for forklift operators in the metro in May 2025, or 8.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.75 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for forklift operators in Burlington, NC?

BLS wage estimates for forklift operators in Burlington, NC run from $36,920 at the 10th percentile to $40,500 at the 25th, $58,450 at the 75th, and $63,610 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do forklift operators take home after taxes in Burlington, NC?

On a median gross salary of $44,910, an estimated $36,982 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,422 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in North Carolina in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,928 (an effective rate of 17.7%).

How much do forklift operators make per month in Burlington, NC?

On the median annual salary of $44,910, gross monthly income is $3,743. After federal, FICA, and North Carolina state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,082 per month (or $1,422 every two weeks).

Is $44,910 a good salary in Burlington, NC?

At $44,910, the median salary for forklift operators is 68.4% of the Burlington, NC median household income ($65,651). It is 2% above the $44,010 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 93.2, so prices here run 6.8% below the U.S. average.