Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,205
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$9,235
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,770
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
$50,440
Kept after tax
$41,205
Worth in national money
$43,770
State rank
25
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $50,440, ranking 25 of 48 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 275 among 489 occupations North Carolina publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $50,440 you keep $41,205 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $43,770 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $54,890, since top earners drag the number up.
- North Carolina occupies the middle band for computer numerically controlled tool operators: a median of $50,440, ranking 25 of 48. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Position 275 of 489 in North Carolina places computer numerically controlled tool operators in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay in North Carolina is $41,205 after the full tax stack, from $50,440. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $43,770 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $54,890 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,410 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $50,440 |
| Top tenth earn over | $80,770 |
| This salary | $50,440 |
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 | $41,205 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,709 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$180 |
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 | $48,568 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$218 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of computer numerically controlled tool operators in North Carolina earn under $50,440 and half over. The published range runs $37,410 at the tenth percentile to $80,770 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind North Carolina's $41,205, worked from $50,440. 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 275 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 $43,770, the adjusted value of that $50,440 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 275 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for computer numerically controlled tool operators in North Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $37,410 to $80,770; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The North Carolina take-home of $41,205, on $50,440 for work ranking 275 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 275 of 489 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $43,770 — the adjusted value of that $50,440 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 275 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $54,890 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $37,410 at the bottom tenth to $80,770 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 $43,770.
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 $41,205.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 48 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in North Carolina is $54,890. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($37,410) and the ninetieth ($80,770) 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 $43,770 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 $41,205 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.