Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$61,372
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$17,038
21.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$65,193
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
$78,410
Kept after tax
$61,372
Worth in national money
$65,193
State rank
13
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- North Carolina is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $78,410, which ranks 13 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 0.44% above the national middle.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 489 occupations North Carolina reports, this job comes in at 113 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $78,410 you keep $61,372, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $65,193 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $89,430, because the best-paid pull it up.
- North Carolina ranks 13 of 51 states publishing a median for market research analysts and marketing specialists, at $78,410 — about 0.44% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Market research analysts and marketing specialists ranks 113 of 489 occupations by median in North Carolina, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- After federal, FICA and North Carolina income tax, retained pay for market research analysts and marketing specialists on $78,410 is $61,372. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $65,193 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 $89,430 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $43,780 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $78,410 |
| Top tenth earn over | $155,670 |
| This salary | $78,410 |
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 | $61,372 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,991 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$659 |
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 | $74,686 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$911 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $78,410 as a midpoint for North Carolina, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $43,780 and the ninetieth is $155,670 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind North Carolina's $61,372, worked from $78,410. 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 113 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 $65,193, the adjusted value of that $78,410 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 113 of 489 in the state.
- The North Carolina median of $78,410 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $43,780 to $155,670. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The North Carolina take-home of $61,372, on $78,410 for work ranking 113 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 113 of 489 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $65,193 — the adjusted value of that $78,410 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 113 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $89,430, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $43,780 at the bottom tenth to $155,670 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $65,193 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 $61,372.
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.
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 $89,430. 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 drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($43,780) and the ninetieth ($155,670) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $65,193 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 $61,372 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.