Computer Network Architects in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$93,718
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$33,602
26.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$99,553
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
$127,320
Kept after tax
$93,718
Worth in national money
$99,553
State rank
27
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina sits in the middle of the pack for computer network architects. The median is $127,320, ranking 27 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 489 occupations North Carolina reports, computer network architects comes in at 28 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $127,320 you keep $93,718, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $99,553 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $130,700, because the best-paid pull it up.
- North Carolina occupies the middle band for computer network architects: a median of $127,320, ranking 27 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Computer network architects ranks 28 of 489 occupations by median in North Carolina, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- After federal, FICA and North Carolina income tax, retained pay for computer network architects on $127,320 is $93,718. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $99,553 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $130,700 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Computer Network Architects
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $79,120 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $127,320 |
| Top tenth earn over | $173,410 |
| This salary | $127,320 |
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 | $93,718 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $98,289 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,594 |
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 | $120,665 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,266 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $127,320 as a midpoint for North Carolina, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $79,120 and the ninetieth is $173,410 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $93,718, from $127,320, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 28 of 489 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $99,553, the adjusted value of that $127,320 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of North Carolina. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 28 of 489 locally.
- The North Carolina median of $127,320 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $79,120 to $173,410. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for North Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $93,718 from $127,320. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 28 of 489 locally.
- This $99,553 adjusted figure, worked from $127,320, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 28 of 489 in the state. The occupation ranks 28 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $79,120 at the bottom tenth to $173,410 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $99,553.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; North Carolina then takes its own share, leaving $93,718.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($79,120) and the ninetieth ($173,410) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $99,553 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 $93,718 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.