Electricians in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$46,061
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$10,739
18.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$48,929
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
$56,800
Kept after tax
$46,061
Worth in national money
$48,929
State rank
49
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina is among the lower-paying states for electricians. The middle earner takes $56,800, ranking 49 of 51 states — about 10.11% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations North Carolina reports figures for, this is number 240.
- North Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $56,800 the take-home is $46,061; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $48,929 would nationally. The average comes to $56,850, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- North Carolina ranks 49 of 51 for electricians, with a median of $56,800 — about 10.11% 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.
- In North Carolina's occupational distribution, electricians sits at 240 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.
- Post-tax income for electricians in North Carolina, on $56,800, is $46,061 — equivalent to $48,929 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $56,850 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Electricians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $40,130 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $56,800 |
| Top tenth earn over | $75,060 |
| This salary | $56,800 |
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 | $46,061 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $47,819 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$280 |
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 | $54,613 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$339 |
| 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 $56,800. The published range is $40,130 up to $75,060, 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 $46,061, worked from $56,800. 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 240 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $48,929 uses one figure for the whole of North Carolina. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 240.
- Reported values are medians; for electricians in North Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $40,130 to $75,060. 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 $46,061, on $56,800 for work ranking 240 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 240 of 489 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $48,929, worked from $56,800, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular North Carolina address, on work sitting at 240 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $40,130 and the top tenth $75,060, so most people doing this work in North Carolina sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. North Carolina is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $48,929 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and North Carolina adds its own income tax on top — which is why $46,061 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($40,130 to $75,060) 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 $48,929 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 $46,061 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.