Child, Family, and School Social Workers in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,207
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$11,403
19.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,208
North Carolina costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in North Carolina — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$59,610
Kept after tax
$48,207
Worth in national money
$51,208
State rank
23
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. North Carolina is 23 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $59,610. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations North Carolina reports figures for, this is number 209.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $59,610 you keep $48,207 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $51,208 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $59,660, since top earners drag the number up.
- North Carolina ranks 23 of 51 for child, family, and school social workers at $59,610. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In North Carolina's occupational distribution, child, family, and school social workers sits at 209 of 489 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay in North Carolina is $48,207 after the full tax stack, from $59,610. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $51,208 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $59,660 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Child, Family, and School Social Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $42,870 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,610 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,950 |
| This salary | $59,610 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in North Carolina | $48,207 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,077 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$324 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $57,283 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$392 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in North Carolina earn less than $59,610. The published range is $42,870 up to $76,950, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind North Carolina's $48,207, worked from $59,610. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 209 of 489.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $51,208, the adjusted value of that $59,610 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 209 of 489 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for child, family, and school social workers in North Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $42,870 to $76,950. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The North Carolina take-home of $48,207, on $59,610 for work ranking 209 of 489 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 209 of 489 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $51,208 — the adjusted value of that $59,610 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 209 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $42,870 and the top tenth $76,950, so most people doing this work in North Carolina sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $51,208.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and North Carolina's own levy, $48,207 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($42,870 to $76,950) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to North Carolina rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
North Carolina's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $51,208 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $48,207 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and North Carolina income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.