A complete 2026 pay reference for North Carolina: 100 occupations across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and more, ranked by median annual salary.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for detailed percentiles, experience tiers, and metro breakdown.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $504,100 | $383,100 | $655,400 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $414,800 | $315,200 | $539,200 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $379,700 | $288,500 | $493,600 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $267,400 | $203,200 | $347,600 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $228,000 | $173,300 | $296,400 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $206,800 | $157,200 | $268,800 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $196,500 | $149,300 | $255,400 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $195,500 | $148,600 | $254,200 |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $178,900 | $136,000 | $232,600 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $174,700 | $132,800 | $227,200 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $168,500 | $128,100 | $219,000 |
| 12 | IT Manager | Technology | $164,300 | $124,900 | $213,600 |
| 13 | Controller | Finance | $161,200 | $122,500 | $209,600 |
| 14 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $161,200 | $122,500 | $209,600 |
| 15 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $159,600 | $121,300 | $207,500 |
| 16 | Product Manager | Technology | $158,100 | $120,200 | $205,500 |
| 17 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $157,000 | $119,300 | $204,000 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $155,400 | $118,100 | $202,100 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $155,400 | $118,100 | $202,100 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $153,900 | $117,000 | $200,100 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $152,300 | $115,700 | $198,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $150,600 | $114,500 | $195,800 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $149,100 | $113,300 | $193,900 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $147,700 | $112,200 | $192,000 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $147,700 | $112,200 | $192,000 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $144,900 | $110,200 | $188,400 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $143,500 | $109,100 | $186,600 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $141,900 | $107,800 | $184,500 |
| 29 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $139,700 | $106,200 | $181,600 |
| 30 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $138,600 | $105,400 | $180,200 |
| 31 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $138,600 | $105,400 | $180,200 |
| 32 | Software Engineer | Technology | $137,300 | $104,300 | $178,500 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $137,300 | $104,300 | $178,500 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $135,700 | $103,200 | $176,500 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $135,200 | $102,800 | $175,800 |
| 36 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $133,200 | $101,200 | $173,100 |
| 37 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $133,100 | $101,200 | $173,100 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $130,000 | $98,800 | $169,000 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $128,100 | $97,400 | $166,600 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $123,900 | $94,200 | $161,100 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $122,700 | $93,300 | $159,600 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $117,900 | $89,600 | $153,200 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $117,600 | $89,400 | $152,900 |
| 44 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $116,500 | $88,500 | $151,400 |
| 45 | College Professor | Education | $115,600 | $87,900 | $150,300 |
| 46 | School Principal | Education | $115,600 | $87,900 | $150,300 |
| 47 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $113,400 | $86,200 | $147,500 |
| 48 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $113,400 | $86,200 | $147,500 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $112,300 | $85,400 | $146,000 |
| 50 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $111,400 | $84,600 | $144,800 |
| 51 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $111,300 | $84,600 | $144,700 |
| 52 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $110,300 | $83,800 | $143,400 |
| 53 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $110,300 | $83,800 | $143,400 |
| 54 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $109,200 | $83,000 | $142,000 |
| 55 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $107,100 | $81,400 | $139,300 |
| 56 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $107,100 | $81,400 | $139,300 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $106,100 | $80,600 | $137,900 |
| 58 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $104,800 | $79,600 | $136,200 |
| 59 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $103,900 | $79,000 | $135,100 |
| 60 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $103,500 | $78,600 | $134,500 |
| 61 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $102,900 | $78,200 | $133,800 |
| 62 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $101,900 | $77,500 | $132,500 |
| 63 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $99,800 | $75,800 | $129,700 |
| 64 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $96,000 | $73,000 | $124,900 |
| 65 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $93,900 | $71,300 | $122,000 |
| 66 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $93,300 | $70,900 | $121,300 |
| 67 | Animator | Creative & Media | $91,500 | $69,600 | $119,000 |
| 68 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $91,200 | $69,300 | $118,600 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $87,000 | $66,100 | $113,100 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $85,100 | $64,700 | $110,700 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $81,900 | $62,300 | $106,500 |
| 72 | Police Officer | Public Service | $80,300 | $61,000 | $104,400 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $78,600 | $59,700 | $102,200 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $77,800 | $59,200 | $101,200 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $74,200 | $56,400 | $96,500 |
| 76 | High School Teacher | Education | $72,800 | $55,300 | $94,700 |
| 77 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $72,800 | $55,300 | $94,700 |
| 78 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $72,000 | $54,700 | $93,600 |
| 79 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $70,700 | $53,700 | $91,900 |
| 80 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $70,700 | $53,800 | $91,900 |
| 81 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $70,700 | $53,800 | $91,900 |
| 82 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $70,700 | $53,800 | $91,900 |
| 83 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $68,600 | $52,200 | $89,200 |
| 84 | School Counselor | Education | $68,500 | $52,100 | $89,100 |
| 85 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $67,700 | $51,400 | $88,000 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $67,000 | $50,900 | $87,100 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $66,400 | $50,500 | $86,300 |
| 88 | Paralegal | Legal | $65,800 | $50,000 | $85,500 |
| 89 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $65,500 | $49,800 | $85,100 |
| 90 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $65,500 | $49,800 | $85,100 |
| 91 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $64,500 | $49,000 | $83,800 |
| 92 | Social Worker | Public Service | $64,200 | $48,800 | $83,500 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $63,300 | $48,100 | $82,300 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $60,300 | $45,800 | $78,400 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $56,800 | $43,100 | $73,800 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $56,800 | $43,100 | $73,800 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $49,900 | $37,900 | $64,900 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $48,800 | $37,100 | $63,400 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $48,000 | $36,500 | $62,400 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $42,400 | $32,200 | $55,100 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in North Carolina (with growth outlook)
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