Pay and cost of living in McDowell County, NC
McDowell County, NC is part of the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area labor market, and this page summarizes 2 occupations with published wages there. The median of their median salaries is $29,595 a year. The best-paid occupation listed is Retail Salespersons at $30,490, and the lowest is Cashiers at $28,700.
A one-bedroom apartment in McDowell County, NC has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $910 a month and a two-bedroom $1,012. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $17,966 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $25,192 a year, and every one of the 2 occupations listed here earns enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Each occupation links to a detailed page with gross pay, take-home pay, rent, food and energy costs, and the monthly budget margin. All pages share one method, which makes it easy to compare jobs inside McDowell County, NC or against other counties.
Housing, taxes and commute in McDowell County, NC
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for McDowell County, NC, set beside the North Carolina and national medians.
Median household income in McDowell County, NC is $57,168, 21% below the North Carolina median of $72,388 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($10,920) equals 19.1% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $29,595, is 48% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in McDowell County, NC pay a median of $911 a year in real estate taxes, 52% below the North Carolina median of $1,896. With a median home value of $171,100, 41% below the North Carolina median of $288,900, the ratio of the two medians is 0.53% a year.
Renters in McDowell County, NC pay a median gross rent of $806 a month in the Census survey, 34% below the North Carolina median of $1,228. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $910; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in McDowell County, NC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 24.7 minutes each way, 2% below the North Carolina average of 25.1. 6.0% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.