Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$26,597
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$4,713
15.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,253
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
$31,310
Kept after tax
$26,597
Worth in national money
$28,253
State rank
37
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina is among the lower-paying states for maids and housekeeping cleaners. The middle earner takes $31,310, ranking 37 of 51 states — about 11.83% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in North Carolina, this one sits low: 470 of 489 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- North Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $31,310 the take-home is $26,597; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $28,253 would nationally. The average comes to $33,430, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- North Carolina ranks 37 of 51 for maids and housekeeping cleaners, with a median of $31,310 — about 11.83% 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.
- Maids and housekeeping cleaners occupies position 470 of 489 in North Carolina's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Post-tax income for maids and housekeeping cleaners in North Carolina, on $31,310, is $26,597 — equivalent to $28,253 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 $33,430 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $23,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $31,310 |
| Top tenth earn over | $40,110 |
| This salary | $31,310 |
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 | $26,597 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $27,338 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$121 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $30,388 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$146 |
| 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 maids and housekeeping cleaners in North Carolina earn under $31,310 and half over. The published range runs $23,990 at the tenth percentile to $40,110 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $26,597, from $31,310, 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 470 of 489 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $28,253 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 470.
- Figures are distribution medians for maids and housekeeping cleaners in North Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $23,990 to $40,110; 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 $26,597 from $31,310. 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 470 of 489 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $28,253, worked from $31,310, 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 470 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $33,430, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $23,990 at the tenth percentile, $40,110 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 $28,253 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 $26,597.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 $33,430. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($23,990 to $40,110) 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 $28,253 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 $26,597 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.