Winston-Salem, NC
Across all occupations in the Winston-Salem, NC metropolitan area, the median wage is $46,380 a year ($22.30 an hour) and the mean $59,130, May 2025. That median is −9% against the US median of $50,980 and −3% against North Carolina's $47,970. BLS counts 271,980 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is emergency medicine physicians; the largest is registered nurses.
All occupations: Winston-Salem, NC vs North Carolina and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Winston-Salem, NC | Hourly | $13.53 | $16.92 | $22.30 | $32.66 | $48.79 | $28.43 | 271,980 |
| Annual | $28,140 | $35,190 | $46,380 | $67,940 | $101,490 | $59,130 | ||
| 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 | ||
468 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 Winston-Salem, NC
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $319,170 | $153.45 | ** |
| 2 | Radiologists | $317,250 | $152.53 | ** |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physicians | $309,990 | $149.04 | ** |
| 4 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $293,840 | $141.27 | 80 |
| 5 | Chief Executives | $273,710 | $131.59 | 80 |
| 6 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $258,750 | $124.40 | ** |
| 7 | Nurse Anesthetists | $216,140 | $103.91 | 440 |
| 8 | Dentists, General | $168,700 | $81.11 | 230 |
| 9 | Optometrists | $162,540 | $78.14 | 70 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in North Carolina | $160,900 | $77.36 | 700 |
| 11 | Marketing Managers | $160,570 | $77.20 | 440 |
| 12 | Fundraising Managers | $158,460 | $76.18 | 70 |
| 13 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $155,200 | $74.61 | 200 |
| 14 | Financial Managers in North Carolina | $155,030 | $74.54 | 980 |
| 15 | Natural Sciences Managers | $148,710 | $71.50 | 220 |
| 16 | Public Relations Managers | $140,680 | $67.64 | 100 |
| 17 | Commercial Pilots | $137,180 | * | 40 |
| 18 | Human Resources Managers | $137,110 | $65.92 | 320 |
| 19 | Pharmacists | $135,710 | $65.24 | 1,010 |
| 20 | Sales Managers in North Carolina | $132,550 | $63.72 | 690 |
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 Winston-Salem, NC
Most concentrated occupations in Winston-Salem, 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 | Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 20.31 | 780 | 2.88 | $37,070 |
| 2 | Upholsterers | 12.28 | 430 | 1.59 | $38,270 |
| 3 | Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 8.67 | 200 | 0.73 | $36,440 |
| 4 | Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 6.07 | 100 | 0.35 | $38,740 |
| 5 | Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.62 | 110 | 0.42 | $36,070 |
| 6 | Cooks, Fast Food in North Carolina | 5.46 | 6,120 | 22.50 | $27,280 |
| 7 | Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other | 5.05 | 120 | 0.44 | $37,700 |
| 8 | Nurse Anesthetists | 4.91 | 440 | 1.64 | $216,140 |
| 9 | Production Workers, All Other | 4.19 | 1,850 | 6.79 | $37,980 |
| 10 | Medical Equipment Preparers | 3.51 | 480 | 1.75 | $45,130 |
Occupation groups in Winston-Salem, NC
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $109,080 | $129,840 | 13,600 | 49.99 | 0.70 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $97,060 | $100,080 | 5,660 | 20.80 | 0.61 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $83,770 | $89,430 | 3,070 | 11.29 | 0.67 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $79,610 | $94,280 | 27,200 | 99.99 | 1.58 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $75,310 | $84,420 | 15,840 | 58.25 | 0.86 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $69,460 | $79,450 | 2,450 | 8.99 | 0.95 |
| Legal | $65,960 | $97,820 | 1,980 | 7.28 | 0.87 |
| Community and Social Service | $55,460 | $56,900 | 3,500 | 12.88 | 0.75 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $53,410 | $56,860 | 10,580 | 38.89 | 0.99 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $48,100 | $55,190 | 16,170 | 59.47 | 1.02 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $47,840 | $63,510 | 3,330 | 12.25 | 0.93 |
| Construction and Extraction | $47,670 | $52,530 | 10,210 | 37.53 | 0.91 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,440 | $47,060 | 29,770 | 109.46 | 0.96 |
| Protective Service | $44,140 | $48,560 | 5,570 | 20.49 | 0.84 |
| Production | $43,800 | $47,140 | 22,710 | 83.48 | 1.52 |
| Healthcare Support | $38,310 | $39,850 | 12,140 | 44.64 | 0.88 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $37,540 | $41,680 | 24,960 | 91.78 | 1.04 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,330 | $40,400 | 120 | 0.46 | 0.16 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,000 | $36,810 | 7,650 | 28.14 | 0.96 |
| Sales and Related | $35,160 | $47,850 | 24,110 | 88.63 | 1.03 |
| Personal Care and Service | $32,140 | $36,340 | 5,130 | 18.85 | 0.90 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,320 | $32,490 | 26,240 | 96.47 | 1.10 |
Every occupation in North Carolina, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 468 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 Winston-Salem, NC estimates (area 49180).
*- 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 Winston-Salem, 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.