Surgical Technologists in North Carolina
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$49,207
after federal, FICA and North Carolina tax
Tax takes
$11,713
19.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,271
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
$60,920
Kept after tax
$49,207
Worth in national money
$52,271
State rank
38
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. North Carolina pays surgical technologists a middle wage of $60,920, 38 of 51 states and about 5.77% 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 198.
- Here is where North Carolina does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $60,920 you keep $49,207, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $52,271 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $61,530, because the best-paid pull it up.
- North Carolina's $60,920 median for surgical technologists places it 38 of 51 states, about 5.77% 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, surgical technologists sits at 198 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.
- After federal, FICA and North Carolina income tax, retained pay for surgical technologists on $60,920 is $49,207. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $52,271 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 $61,530 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Surgical Technologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $45,990 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,920 |
| Top tenth earn over | $78,650 |
| This salary | $60,920 |
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 | $49,207 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $51,129 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$345 |
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 | $58,528 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$417 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $60,920 as a midpoint for North Carolina, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $45,990 and the ninetieth is $78,650 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In North Carolina the take-home figure of $49,207, from $60,920, 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 198 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 $52,271, the adjusted value of that $60,920 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 198 of 489 in the state.
- The North Carolina median of $60,920 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $45,990 to $78,650. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for North Carolina is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $49,207 from $60,920. 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 198 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for North Carolina, so $52,271 — the adjusted value of that $60,920 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 198 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $45,990 and the top tenth $78,650, so most people doing this work in North Carolina sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $52,271 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 $49,207.
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 ($45,990 to $78,650) 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 $52,271 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 $49,207 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.