Rehabilitation Counselors in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$37,730
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$8,160
17.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$40,079
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
$45,890
Kept after tax
$37,730
Worth in national money
$40,079
State rank
35
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. North Carolina pays rehabilitation counselors a middle wage of $45,890, 35 of 51 states and about 2.05% 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 346.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $45,890 you keep $37,730 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $40,079 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $45,010.
- North Carolina's $45,890 median for rehabilitation counselors places it 35 of 51 states, about 2.05% 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, rehabilitation counselors sits at 346 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.
- Retained pay in North Carolina is $37,730 after the full tax stack, from $45,890. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $40,079 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $45,010 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Rehabilitation Counselors
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,440 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,890 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,600 |
| This salary | $45,890 |
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 | $37,730 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,053 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$109 |
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 | $44,244 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$131 |
| 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 rehabilitation counselors in North Carolina earn under $45,890 and half over. The published range runs $30,440 at the tenth percentile to $59,600 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $37,730, from $45,890, 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 346 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 $40,079, the adjusted value of that $45,890 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 346 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for rehabilitation counselors in North Carolina, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $30,440 to $59,600; 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 $37,730 from $45,890. 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 346 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $40,079 — the adjusted value of that $45,890 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 346 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $30,440 at the tenth percentile, $59,600 at the ninetieth.
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 $40,079.
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, $37,730 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 ($30,440 to $59,600) 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 $40,079 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 $37,730 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.