Asheville, NC
Across all occupations in the Asheville, NC metropolitan area, the median wage is $46,870 a year ($22.53 an hour) and the mean $60,490, May 2025. That median is −8% against the US median of $50,980 and −2% against North Carolina's $47,970. BLS counts 180,620 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is retail salespersons.
All occupations: Asheville, NC vs North Carolina and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Asheville, NC | Hourly | $13.97 | $17.51 | $22.53 | $31.64 | $48.68 | $29.08 | 180,620 |
| Annual | $29,060 | $36,430 | $46,870 | $65,820 | $101,260 | $60,490 | ||
| North Carolina | Hourly | $13.74 | $17.32 | $23.06 | $36.35 | $57.52 | $30.91 | 4,941,820 |
| Annual | $28,580 | $36,030 | $47,970 | $75,610 | $119,640 | $64,290 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
422 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: North Carolina. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Asheville, NC
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $360,010 | $173.08 | 1,020 |
| 2 | Chief Executives | $270,520 | $130.06 | 50 |
| 3 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $225,830 | $108.57 | 340 |
| 4 | Nurse Anesthetists | $223,630 | $107.51 | 150 |
| 5 | Family Medicine Physicians | $212,710 | $102.26 | 90 |
| 6 | Dentists, General | $202,630 | $97.42 | 140 |
| 7 | Pediatricians, General | $170,140 | $81.80 | 80 |
| 8 | Optometrists | $167,980 | $80.76 | 40 |
| 9 | Psychiatrists | $164,520 | $79.10 | 50 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in North Carolina | $163,290 | $78.51 | 420 |
| 11 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $160,140 | $76.99 | 200 |
| 12 | Psychologists, All Other | $152,550 | $73.34 | 60 |
| 13 | Financial Managers in North Carolina | $152,270 | $73.21 | 450 |
| 14 | Marketing Managers | $150,610 | $72.41 | 160 |
| 15 | Information Security Analysts | $149,350 | $71.80 | 200 |
| 16 | Pharmacists | $136,460 | $65.61 | 520 |
| 17 | Software Developers in North Carolina | $134,350 | $64.59 | 780 |
| 18 | Natural Sciences Managers | $133,470 | $64.17 | 80 |
| 19 | Physician Assistants | $131,260 | $63.11 | 460 |
| 20 | Veterinarians | $130,330 | $62.66 | 190 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Asheville, NC
Most concentrated occupations in Asheville, NC
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helpers--Electricians | 4.62 | 340 | 1.89 | $39,590 |
| 2 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 4.31 | 340 | 1.86 | $225,830 |
| 3 | Pipelayers | 4.07 | 160 | 0.87 | $46,840 |
| 4 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 3.50 | 240 | 1.35 | $61,740 |
| 5 | Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina | 3.45 | 2,570 | 14.24 | $28,120 |
| 6 | Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 3.32 | 230 | 1.25 | * |
| 7 | Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3.30 | 580 | 3.19 | $40,170 |
| 8 | Tour and Travel Guides | 3.29 | 200 | 1.13 | $38,450 |
| 9 | Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 3.08 | 210 | 1.19 | $50,310 |
| 10 | Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 2.96 | 850 | 4.70 | $44,700 |
Occupation groups in Asheville, NC
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $102,450 | $121,080 | 9,530 | 52.79 | 0.74 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $97,410 | $106,240 | 3,330 | 18.41 | 0.54 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $84,930 | $92,550 | 3,130 | 17.31 | 1.03 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,780 | $116,830 | 14,890 | 82.42 | 1.30 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $76,370 | $85,740 | 1,420 | 7.88 | 0.83 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $75,450 | $82,810 | 9,680 | 53.58 | 0.79 |
| Legal | $67,270 | $92,530 | 1,130 | 6.26 | 0.75 |
| Community and Social Service | $53,420 | $56,870 | 3,470 | 19.23 | 1.12 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $53,280 | $57,430 | 7,210 | 39.91 | 1.02 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $51,140 | $67,750 | 2,730 | 15.10 | 1.15 |
| Construction and Extraction | $49,070 | $53,870 | 7,480 | 41.40 | 1.00 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $48,460 | $51,340 | 9,120 | 50.52 | 0.86 |
| Protective Service | $46,840 | $50,480 | 3,560 | 19.72 | 0.81 |
| Production | $45,350 | $48,400 | 11,700 | 64.78 | 1.18 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $44,980 | $47,200 | 20,650 | 114.34 | 1.00 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $40,230 | $43,340 | 15,680 | 86.83 | 0.99 |
| Healthcare Support | $39,220 | $41,500 | 8,260 | 45.74 | 0.90 |
| Sales and Related | $37,070 | $48,230 | 18,040 | 99.89 | 1.16 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,700 | $37,790 | 5,760 | 31.89 | 1.09 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,570 | $38,620 | 300 | 1.69 | 0.60 |
| Personal Care and Service | $36,450 | $39,800 | 3,980 | 22.01 | 1.05 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $31,560 | $35,360 | 19,560 | 108.31 | 1.23 |
Every occupation in North Carolina, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 422 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Asheville, NC estimates (area 11700).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Asheville, NC area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.