Correctional Officers and Jailers in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,289
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$9,261
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,859
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
$50,550
Kept after tax
$41,289
Worth in national money
$43,859
State rank
35
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $50,550, ranking 35 of 49 states — about 14.23% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Against other work in North Carolina, this sits in the middle: 272 of 489 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $50,550 you keep $41,289, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $43,859 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $51,390, because the best-paid pull it up.
- North Carolina ranks 35 of 49 for correctional officers and jailers, with a median of $50,550 — about 14.23% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Correctional officers and jailers ranks 272 of 489 occupations in North Carolina by median pay, in the middle bands. Within-state and national positions are separate measurements and a job commonly sits in different quartiles on each.
- After federal, FICA and North Carolina income tax, retained pay for correctional officers and jailers on $50,550 is $41,289. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $43,859 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 $51,390 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Correctional Officers and Jailers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,850 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $50,550 |
| Top tenth earn over | $63,150 |
| This salary | $50,550 |
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 | $41,289 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,797 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$182 |
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 | $48,673 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$220 |
| 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 correctional officers and jailers in North Carolina earn under $50,550 and half over. The published range runs $38,850 at the tenth percentile to $63,150 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $41,289, from $50,550, 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 272 of 489 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of North Carolina, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $43,859, the adjusted value of that $50,550 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 272 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for correctional officers and jailers in North Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $38,850 to $63,150; 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.
- Take-home for North Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $41,289 from $50,550. 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 272 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $43,859 — the adjusted value of that $50,550 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 272 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $38,850 at the tenth percentile, $63,150 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in North Carolina sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $43,859 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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 $41,289.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,850 to $63,150) 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 $43,859 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 $41,289 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 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.