First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$69,793
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$21,307
23.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$74,138
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
$91,100
Kept after tax
$69,793
Worth in national money
$74,138
State rank
37
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is on the low side in North Carolina. The middle earner gets $91,100. That is 37 of 51 states, and about 14.09% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Within North Carolina this is well-paid work. Of 489 occupations with published figures in the state, this job ranks 83 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $91,100 you keep $69,793, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $74,138 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $91,280, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For first-line supervisors of police and detectives, North Carolina sits in the lower band at $91,100, ranking 37 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 14.09%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Ranked against every occupation North Carolina publishes a median for, first-line supervisors of police and detectives sits 83 of 489 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- After federal, FICA and North Carolina income tax, retained pay for first-line supervisors of police and detectives on $91,100 is $69,793. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $74,138 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 $91,280 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $61,750 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $91,100 |
| Top tenth earn over | $124,120 |
| This salary | $91,100 |
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 | $69,793 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $72,919 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$901 |
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 | $86,656 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,244 |
| 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 first-line supervisors of police and detectives in North Carolina earn under $91,100 and half over. The published range runs $61,750 at the tenth percentile to $124,120 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $69,793, from $91,100, 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 83 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 $74,138, the adjusted value of that $91,100 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 83 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for first-line supervisors of police and detectives in North Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $61,750 to $124,120; 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 $69,793 from $91,100. 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 83 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $74,138 — the adjusted value of that $91,100 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 83 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $61,750 at the tenth percentile, $124,120 at the ninetieth.
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 $74,138.
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 $69,793.
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 ($61,750 to $124,120) 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 $74,138 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 $69,793 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.