Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Across all occupations in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, the median wage is $49,990 a year ($24.03 an hour) and the mean $68,900, May 2025. That median is −2% against the US median of $50,980 and +4% against North Carolina's $47,970. BLS counts 1,358,370 jobs in the area, which spans North Carolina and South Carolina. The highest-paying occupation is orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric; the largest is laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.
All occupations: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC vs North Carolina and South Carolina and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | Hourly | $14.25 | $17.95 | $24.03 | $38.38 | $62.74 | $33.13 | 1,358,370 |
| Annual | $29,640 | $37,330 | $49,990 | $79,830 | $130,510 | $68,900 | ||
| 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 | ||
| South Carolina | Hourly | $13.01 | $16.65 | $22.35 | $33.82 | $49.52 | $28.50 | 2,305,080 |
| Annual | $27,070 | $34,630 | $46,490 | $70,340 | $103,010 | $59,280 | ||
| 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 | ||
659 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profiles: North Carolina, South Carolina. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $572,910 | $275.44 | 140 |
| 2 | Cardiologists | $528,750 | $254.21 | 150 |
| 3 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $353,740 | $170.07 | 160 |
| 4 | Neurologists | $337,600 | $162.31 | 90 |
| 5 | Chief Executives | $329,030 | $158.19 | 740 |
| 6 | Physicians, All Other | $327,040 | $157.23 | 2,400 |
| 7 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $289,780 | $139.32 | 390 |
| 8 | Nurse Anesthetists | $277,550 | $133.44 | 910 |
| 9 | Dermatologists | $276,170 | $132.78 | 180 |
| 10 | Family Medicine Physicians | $269,270 | $129.46 | 280 |
| 11 | Podiatrists | $254,570 | $122.39 | ** |
| 12 | Pediatricians, General | $217,670 | $104.65 | 170 |
| 13 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $195,770 | $94.12 | 110 |
| 14 | Dentists, General | $189,220 | $90.97 | 1,140 |
| 15 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in North Carolina | $176,840 | $85.02 | 8,120 |
| 16 | Natural Sciences Managers | $173,160 | $83.25 | 460 |
| 17 | Financial Managers in North Carolina | $172,760 | $83.06 | 9,290 |
| 18 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $169,960 | $81.71 | 1,830 |
| 19 | Psychiatrists | $169,850 | $81.66 | 100 |
| 20 | Compensation and Benefits Managers | $167,450 | $80.51 | 300 |
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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Most concentrated occupations in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
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 | Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 6.58 | 1,270 | 0.93 | $36,800 |
| 2 | Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | 5.13 | 580 | 0.42 | $40,310 |
| 3 | Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders | 4.37 | 200 | 0.15 | $37,960 |
| 4 | Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.27 | 490 | 0.36 | $39,530 |
| 5 | Pipelayers | 4.06 | 1,170 | 0.86 | $48,980 |
| 6 | Credit Analysts | 3.90 | 2,190 | 1.62 | $100,640 |
| 7 | Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | 3.44 | 1,120 | 0.83 | $57,510 |
| 8 | Financial Risk Specialists | 3.37 | 1,880 | 1.38 | $133,530 |
| 9 | Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks | 3.22 | 3,340 | 2.46 | $44,630 |
| 10 | Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other | 3.06 | 360 | 0.27 | $44,910 |
Occupation groups in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $133,220 | $152,120 | 89,870 | 66.16 | 0.92 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $120,930 | $118,320 | 62,140 | 45.75 | 1.35 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $95,050 | $98,800 | 20,620 | 15.18 | 0.90 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $86,110 | $99,630 | 116,030 | 85.42 | 1.26 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $84,370 | $105,060 | 76,230 | 56.12 | 0.89 |
| Legal | $83,100 | $131,770 | 9,990 | 7.35 | 0.88 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $81,850 | $92,020 | 8,200 | 6.04 | 0.64 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $59,960 | $62,200 | 56,560 | 41.64 | 1.06 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $59,340 | $73,450 | 18,060 | 13.30 | 1.01 |
| Community and Social Service | $54,760 | $57,680 | 17,210 | 12.67 | 0.74 |
| Construction and Extraction | $51,140 | $57,280 | 55,470 | 40.84 | 0.99 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $50,270 | $54,460 | 63,290 | 46.59 | 0.80 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $47,210 | $50,270 | 146,340 | 107.73 | 0.94 |
| Production | $46,680 | $50,110 | 75,490 | 55.57 | 1.01 |
| Protective Service | $45,100 | $51,900 | 33,520 | 24.68 | 1.02 |
| Sales and Related | $40,880 | $59,800 | 139,760 | 102.89 | 1.19 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $40,550 | $46,330 | 142,580 | 104.96 | 1.19 |
| Healthcare Support | $38,850 | $41,870 | 44,170 | 32.52 | 0.64 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $37,080 | $42,270 | 1,260 | 0.93 | 0.33 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,630 | $38,440 | 34,410 | 25.33 | 0.87 |
| Personal Care and Service | $34,400 | $38,580 | 27,400 | 20.17 | 0.96 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $33,530 | $35,960 | 119,770 | 88.17 | 1.00 |
Every occupation in North Carolina and South Carolina, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profiles. All 659 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC estimates (area 16740).
**- Employment 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 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.
- The area spans North Carolina and South Carolina; its figures are the whole MSA, as BLS publishes them, under the primary state North Carolina.