Wilmington, NC
Across all occupations in the Wilmington, NC metropolitan area, the median wage is $45,800 a year ($22.02 an hour) and the mean $58,480, May 2025. That median is −10% against the US median of $50,980 and −5% against North Carolina's $47,970. BLS counts 191,280 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is chief executives; the largest is retail salespersons.
All occupations: Wilmington, NC vs North Carolina and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Wilmington, NC | Hourly | $13.25 | $16.42 | $22.02 | $31.86 | $49.58 | $28.12 | 191,280 |
| Annual | $27,560 | $34,160 | $45,800 | $66,270 | $103,120 | $58,480 | ||
| 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 | ||
411 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 Wilmington, NC
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief Executives | $298,730 | $143.62 | 30 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $252,960 | $121.62 | 450 |
| 3 | Nurse Anesthetists | $218,830 | $105.21 | 150 |
| 4 | Family Medicine Physicians | $207,000 | $99.52 | ** |
| 5 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $187,380 | * | 170 |
| 6 | Dentists, General | $185,720 | $89.29 | 220 |
| 7 | Commercial Pilots | $172,320 | * | 40 |
| 8 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $169,810 | $81.64 | 190 |
| 9 | Natural Sciences Managers | $166,910 | $80.24 | 330 |
| 10 | Optometrists | $163,800 | $78.75 | 120 |
| 11 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in North Carolina | $160,980 | $77.40 | 420 |
| 12 | Marketing Managers | $153,860 | $73.97 | 170 |
| 13 | Financial Managers in North Carolina | $152,150 | $73.15 | 510 |
| 14 | Pharmacists | $151,790 | $72.98 | 480 |
| 15 | Purchasing Managers | $145,730 | $70.06 | 60 |
| 16 | Information Security Analysts | $145,170 | $69.79 | 230 |
| 17 | Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary | $144,160 | * | 40 |
| 18 | Human Resources Managers | $140,960 | $67.77 | 130 |
| 19 | Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $139,410 | * | 50 |
| 20 | Sales Managers in North Carolina | $133,400 | $64.14 | 520 |
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 Wilmington, NC
Most concentrated occupations in Wilmington, 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 | Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | 13.01 | 210 | 1.08 | * |
| 2 | Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina | 4.92 | 3,880 | 20.30 | $27,500 |
| 3 | Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians | 4.67 | 130 | 0.70 | $58,240 |
| 4 | Helpers--Electricians | 4.08 | 320 | 1.67 | $37,720 |
| 5 | Pipelayers | 4.01 | 160 | 0.85 | $46,130 |
| 6 | Chemists | 3.97 | 400 | 2.12 | $78,130 |
| 7 | Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | 3.78 | 170 | 0.91 | $41,960 |
| 8 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 3.34 | 150 | 0.79 | $63,190 |
| 9 | Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 3.26 | 510 | 2.66 | $36,860 |
| 10 | Writers and Authors | 3.13 | 180 | 0.97 | $47,940 |
Occupation groups in Wilmington, NC
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $103,570 | $124,150 | 9,960 | 52.09 | 0.73 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $97,450 | $101,630 | 3,890 | 20.36 | 0.60 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $85,750 | $94,870 | 2,770 | 14.49 | 0.86 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $79,780 | $86,420 | 2,600 | 13.61 | 1.44 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $79,540 | $99,680 | 14,590 | 76.27 | 1.21 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $74,870 | $86,420 | 10,200 | 53.31 | 0.79 |
| Legal | $64,640 | $96,000 | 1,100 | 5.74 | 0.68 |
| Community and Social Service | $54,990 | $56,550 | 2,820 | 14.74 | 0.86 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $50,450 | $56,210 | 7,990 | 41.77 | 1.07 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $48,970 | $60,070 | 2,330 | 12.18 | 0.93 |
| Construction and Extraction | $48,870 | $54,080 | 9,320 | 48.74 | 1.18 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $48,090 | $56,070 | 10,100 | 52.79 | 0.90 |
| Protective Service | $48,050 | $51,030 | 4,740 | 24.80 | 1.02 |
| Production | $46,450 | $52,210 | 6,990 | 36.55 | 0.66 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $43,110 | $45,600 | 20,880 | 109.15 | 0.96 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,180 | $39,630 | 8,330 | 43.53 | 0.86 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $37,160 | $42,940 | 14,320 | 74.85 | 0.85 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,460 | $37,280 | 6,630 | 34.67 | 1.19 |
| Sales and Related | $35,970 | $48,740 | 20,620 | 107.80 | 1.25 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $32,110 | $38,500 | 170 | 0.89 | 0.32 |
| Personal Care and Service | $30,590 | $35,930 | 4,570 | 23.88 | 1.14 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,500 | $33,340 | 26,360 | 137.80 | 1.57 |
Every occupation in North Carolina, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 411 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 Wilmington, NC estimates (area 48900).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- 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 Wilmington, 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.