North Carolina
Across all occupations in North Carolina, the median wage is $47,970 a year ($23.06 an hour) and the mean $64,290, May 2025. That median is −6% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 4,941,820 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is surgeons, all other; the largest is retail salespersons.
All occupations: North Carolina vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| 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 | ||
Minimum wage in North Carolina
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the North Carolina minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in North Carolina
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surgeons, All Other | $398,410 | $191.54 | 480 |
| 2 | Dermatologists | $367,350 | $176.61 | 800 |
| 3 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $339,350 | $163.15 | 710 |
| 4 | Neurologists | $325,550 | $156.52 | 180 |
| 5 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $323,630 | $155.59 | 560 |
| 6 | Chief Executives | $314,290 | $151.10 | 1,930 |
| 7 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $289,780 | $139.32 | 1,700 |
| 8 | Physicians, All Other | $260,330 | $125.16 | 14,080 |
| 9 | Physicians, Pathologists | $248,940 | $119.69 | 340 |
| 10 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $225,990 | $108.65 | 130 |
| 11 | Orthodontists | $224,990 | $108.17 | 160 |
| 12 | Nurse Anesthetists | $224,610 | $107.99 | 3,340 |
| 13 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $224,040 | $107.71 | ** |
| 14 | Podiatrists | $215,420 | $103.57 | 240 |
| 15 | Family Medicine Physicians | $215,230 | $103.47 | 1,520 |
| 16 | Dentists, General | $207,000 | $99.52 | 4,140 |
| 17 | Pediatricians, General | $183,550 | $88.25 | 740 |
| 18 | Physicists | $174,180 | $83.74 | 150 |
| 19 | Natural Sciences Managers | $173,870 | $83.59 | 6,010 |
| 20 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $172,860 | $83.11 | 25,650 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in North Carolina
Occupation groups in North Carolina
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $124,390 | $140,910 | 303,040 | 61.32 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $107,600 | $112,980 | 195,720 | 39.61 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $91,360 | $97,700 | 79,670 | 16.12 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,270 | $100,480 | 327,500 | 66.27 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $80,230 | $91,860 | 356,580 | 72.16 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $78,850 | $87,820 | 54,090 | 10.95 |
| Legal | $77,950 | $114,310 | 32,500 | 6.58 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $56,550 | $58,930 | 202,630 | 41.00 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $55,650 | $70,250 | 61,150 | 12.37 |
| Community and Social Service | $54,530 | $56,780 | 70,470 | 14.26 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $49,410 | $56,620 | 277,370 | 56.13 |
| Construction and Extraction | $49,390 | $54,940 | 196,760 | 39.82 |
| Protective Service | $46,300 | $51,100 | 115,740 | 23.42 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,450 | $47,690 | 536,920 | 108.65 |
| Production | $44,120 | $47,110 | 318,440 | 64.44 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $39,040 | $43,560 | 450,010 | 91.06 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,800 | $39,850 | 188,740 | 38.19 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $37,770 | $42,260 | 6,940 | 1.41 |
| Sales and Related | $37,380 | $54,440 | 483,760 | 97.89 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,070 | $37,330 | 137,290 | 27.78 |
| Personal Care and Service | $33,670 | $38,190 | 94,100 | 19.04 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,820 | $33,640 | 452,410 | 91.55 |
Metropolitan areas in North Carolina
16 metropolitan areas touch North Carolina, plus 3 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville, NC | Metropolitan | $46,870 | $22.53 | 180,620 |
| Burlington, NC | Metropolitan | $44,010 | $21.16 | 67,830 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | Metropolitan | $49,990 | $24.03 | 1,358,370 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | Metropolitan | $60,720 | $29.19 | 344,020 |
| Fayetteville, NC | Metropolitan | $45,620 | $21.93 | 131,430 |
| Goldsboro, NC | Metropolitan | $40,570 | $19.51 | 40,320 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | Metropolitan | $46,570 | $22.39 | 365,410 |
| Greenville, NC | Metropolitan | $46,560 | $22.39 | 80,770 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | Metropolitan | $45,220 | $21.74 | 154,090 |
| Jacksonville, NC | Metropolitan | $40,230 | $19.34 | 52,570 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | Metropolitan | $42,920 | $20.64 | 42,900 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Metropolitan | $51,990 | $24.99 | 743,120 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | Metropolitan | $43,960 | $21.13 | 54,630 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | Metropolitan | $49,430 | $23.76 | 763,060 |
| Wilmington, NC | Metropolitan | $45,800 | $22.02 | 191,280 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | Metropolitan | $46,380 | $22.30 | 271,980 |
| Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $42,560 | $20.46 | 264,470 |
| Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $42,140 | $20.26 | 238,010 |
| Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $42,990 | $20.67 | 253,210 |
Occupation pages for North Carolina
63 occupations have a dedicated North Carolina page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $82,050
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $48,200
- Bartenders $36,470
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $47,930
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $80,230
- Carpenters $49,100
- Cashiers $28,880
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $172,860
- Computer User Support Specialists $60,120
- Construction Laborers $44,720
- Cooks, Fast Food $27,190
- Cooks, Restaurant $35,400
- Customer Service Representatives $40,240
- Electricians $56,800
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $54,930
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $28,570
- Financial Managers $166,780
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $75,270
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $45,010
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $76,800
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $62,340
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $69,640
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $47,760
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $60,070
- Food Preparation Workers $30,260
- General and Operations Managers $101,950
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $51,530
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $31,240
- Human Resources Specialists $73,070
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $43,420
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $34,500
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $38,230
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,910
- Lawyers $127,710
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $63,270
- Light Truck Drivers $39,910
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $31,310
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $47,910
- Management Analysts $98,560
- Managers, All Other $141,160
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $78,410
- Medical Assistants $45,140
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $44,190
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $52,010
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $40,330
- Nursing Assistants $38,460
- Office Clerks, General $41,770
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $59,300
- Project Management Specialists $100,820
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $35,440
- Registered Nurses $84,350
- Retail Salespersons $31,370
- Sales Managers $150,470
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $62,620
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $70,990
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $57,650
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $45,790
- Security Guards $35,010
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $43,040
- Software Developers $134,710
- Stockers and Order Fillers $35,950
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $29,790
- Waiters and Waitresses $32,150
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for North Carolina
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for North Carolina. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS North Carolina estimates.
**- 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 North Carolina.