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Highest Paying Jobs in North Carolina

Ranked by the average of the local median wages BLS publishes for North Carolina, among 48 occupations with at least 1,000 workers in the state.

Highest paying occupations in North Carolina
#OccupationAverage median wageWorkers in state
1Computer and Information Systems Managers$171,71424,360
2Financial Managers$162,40223,130
3Software Developers$132,92658,100
4Computer Systems Analysts$106,60921,280
5General and Operations Managers$102,32178,060
6Project Management Specialists$100,65039,680
7Management Analysts$100,40325,850
8Financial and Investment Analysts$99,97112,390
9Registered Nurses$85,814112,530
10Accountants and Auditors$83,93952,660
11Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists$77,43931,350
12First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$75,65238,100
13Human Resources Specialists$73,36133,220
14Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents$69,95021,610
15Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$69,25348,430
16First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$62,86841,870
17Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel$62,14847,720
18Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$60,56834,650
19Insurance Sales Agents$57,69418,800
20Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$55,60751,420
21Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$53,06769,110
22Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics$50,10330,600
23Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$48,26452,270
24Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$48,08250,810
25First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers$47,77846,530

Highest-paying jobs in North Carolina

This ranking covers 48 occupations that employ at least 1,000 people in North Carolina. The figure used is the employment-weighted average of the local median wages published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, May 2025) for the state's wage areas. Computer and Information Systems Managers comes first at $171,714 a year; number 25 on the list, First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers, averages $47,778.

Each occupation links to its North Carolina page with the wage areas, the counties and what is left after taxes and living costs. Pay is only part of the picture, so compare it with local rents and taxes before choosing where to work.