Median pay · North Carolina
$47,970A year, or $23 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $28,580 | $14 |
| 25th percentile | $36,030 | $17 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $47,970 | $23 |
| 75th percentile | $75,610 | $36 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $119,640 | $58 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $64,290 | $31 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in North CarolinaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$47,970
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$23.06
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,277 a month at an effective rate of 18%.$39,319 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in North Carolina sit at 94.3 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$50,856
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.5.9% below
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.4,941,820
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in North Carolina: common questions
What is the average salary in North Carolina?
$64,290 a year, or $30.91 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in North Carolina for May 2025.
The median is lower, $47,970: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in North Carolina?
Anything over $47,970 pays more than half the jobs in North Carolina. $75,610 puts you in the top quarter and $119,640 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $3,277 a month after federal, state and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in North Carolina?
By median pay: dermatologists ($367,350), emergency medicine physicians ($339,350), neurologists ($325,550), orthopedic surgeons ($323,630) and chief executives ($314,290). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in North Carolina?
By number of jobs: retail salespersons ($31,370), laborers or material movers ($38,230), registered nurses ($84,350), cashiers ($28,880) and fast food or counter workers ($28,570), with the median pay for each.