Painters, Construction and Maintenance in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,371
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$7,739
17.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,636
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
$44,110
Kept after tax
$36,371
Worth in national money
$38,636
State rank
46
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for painters, construction and maintenance is on the low side in North Carolina. The middle earner gets $44,110. That is 46 of 51 states, and about 10.71% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Against 489 occupations North Carolina publishes, painters, construction and maintenance lands at 367. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $44,110 you keep $36,371, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $38,636 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $44,900, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For painters, construction and maintenance, North Carolina sits in the lower band at $44,110, ranking 46 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 10.71%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Within North Carolina, this work ranks 367 of 489 occupations by median pay, in the bottom quartile. The within-state position is the more salient one for anyone weighing this job against alternatives available to them locally.
- After federal, FICA and North Carolina income tax, retained pay for painters, construction and maintenance on $44,110 is $36,371. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $38,636 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 $44,900 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Painters, Construction and Maintenance
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $33,410 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,110 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,300 |
| This salary | $44,110 |
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 | $36,371 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,622 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$81 |
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 | $42,553 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$97 |
| 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 $44,110. The published range is $33,410 up to $58,300, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $36,371, from $44,110, 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 367 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 $38,636, the adjusted value of that $44,110 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 367 of 489 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for painters, construction and maintenance in North Carolina the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $33,410 to $58,300. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for North Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $36,371 from $44,110. 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 367 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $38,636 — the adjusted value of that $44,110 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 367 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $33,410 at the tenth percentile, $58,300 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. North Carolina is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $38,636 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and North Carolina's own levy, $36,371 remains.
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 ($33,410 to $58,300) 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 $38,636 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 $36,371 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.