Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$51,002
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$12,268
19.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$54,177
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
$63,270
Kept after tax
$51,002
Worth in national money
$54,177
State rank
29
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $63,270, ranking 29 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations North Carolina reports figures for, this is number 177.
- North Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $63,270 the take-home is $51,002; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $54,177 would nationally. The average comes to $63,720, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- North Carolina occupies the middle band for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses: a median of $63,270, ranking 29 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.
- In North Carolina's occupational distribution, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses sits at 177 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 licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in North Carolina, on $63,270, is $51,002 — equivalent to $54,177 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 $63,720 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,480 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $63,270 |
| Top tenth earn over | $74,730 |
| This salary | $63,270 |
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 | $51,002 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $53,017 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$382 |
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 | $60,761 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$462 |
| 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 $63,270. The published range is $50,480 up to $74,730, 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 $51,002, worked from $63,270. 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 177 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 $54,177, the adjusted value of that $63,270 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 177 of 489 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in North Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $50,480 to $74,730. 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 $51,002, on $63,270 for work ranking 177 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 177 of 489 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $54,177 — the adjusted value of that $63,270 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 177 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $50,480 and the top tenth $74,730, so most people doing this work in North Carolina sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $54,177.
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 $51,002.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($50,480 to $74,730) 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 $54,177 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 $51,002 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.