Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$42,404
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$9,606
18.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$45,044
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
$52,010
Kept after tax
$42,404
Worth in national money
$45,044
State rank
48
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. North Carolina pays this job a middle wage of $52,010, 48 of 51 states and about 19.2% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations North Carolina reports figures for, this is number 261.
- North Carolina is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $52,010 the take-home is $42,404; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $45,044 would nationally. The average comes to $53,350, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- North Carolina's $52,010 median for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education places it 48 of 51 states, about 19.2% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- In North Carolina's occupational distribution, middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education sits at 261 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 middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education in North Carolina, on $52,010, is $42,404 — equivalent to $45,044 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 $53,350 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $44,660 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $52,010 |
| Top tenth earn over | $61,770 |
| This salary | $52,010 |
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 | $42,404 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $43,970 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$205 |
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 | $50,060 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$248 |
| 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 $52,010. The published range is $44,660 up to $61,770, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $42,404 take-home in North Carolina comes from $52,010. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 261 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 $45,044, the adjusted value of that $52,010 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 261 of 489 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education in North Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $44,660 to $61,770. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $42,404, from $52,010, assumes a single North Carolina filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 261 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 48 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $45,044 — the adjusted value of that $52,010 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 261 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $44,660 at the tenth percentile, $61,770 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 $45,044 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 $42,404.
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 ($44,660 to $61,770) 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 $45,044 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 $42,404 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.