Average Salary in North Carolina
Wages, household income and cost-of-living context for North Carolina. All figures from federal releases, vintage 2024.
- Mean annual wage$62,440Rank #28 of 51
- Median annual wage$46,950Rank #34 of 51
- Median household income$73,958ACS 2024 1-year
- Regional price parity94.3US = 100
- Adjusted mean wage$66,214Rank #23 at national prices
- Total employment4,898,270Wage & salary workers
What the numbers say
The mean of $62,440 is $15,490 (33.0 %) above the median of $46,950, reflecting a right-skewed wage distribution pulled up by high earners.
Prices in North Carolina are about 5.7 % below the national average (RPP 94.3, where US = 100). After the adjustment, every dollar earned in North Carolina buys what $66,214 would buy at national average prices.
Median household income in North Carolina is $73,958 (Census ACS 2024). That figure counts all income to all people in a household — two-earner couples, Social Security, self-employment earnings — and is not directly comparable to the per-worker wage figures above.
Pay for common occupations in North Carolina
Annual mean wage, cross-industry. Blank rows indicate BLS suppression for this state/occupation cell.
| Occupation | SOC | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Manager | 11-2021 | $162,740 |
| Lawyer | 23-1011 | $159,830 |
| Pharmacist | 29-1051 | $134,030 |
| Software Developer | 15-1252 | $131,780 |
| Data Scientist | 15-2051 | $118,020 |
| Financial and Investment Analyst | 13-2051 | $108,010 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 17-2141 | $106,210 |
| Project Management Specialist | 13-1082 | $104,400 |
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