Electrician · North Carolina · SOC 47-2111
Electricians in North Carolina: 2026 Salary, Real Wage, and Cost-Adjusted Pay
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- North Carolina pays Electricians a BLS median of $54,070 — the more useful number is $57,278, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
- P25-P75 spread runs $47,000 to $61,380; P10 floor $38,700, P90 ceiling $72,170.
- Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $3,208.
- Electrician ranking: #48 on the BLS table, #49 once cost of living is in.
Wage breakdown — North Carolina
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $38,700 | $40,996 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $47,000 | $49,789 |
| P50 (median) | $54,070 | $57,278 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $61,380 | $65,022 |
| P90 (top tier) | $72,170 | $76,452 |
| Mean | $55,370 | $58,655 |
| Employment | 23,660 Electricians in North Carolina | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | North Carolina index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 94.4 |
| Goods | 96.8 |
| Services | 83.6 |
| Rents | 80.8 |
North Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 94.4), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.8.
After-tax take-home — North Carolina (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Electrician) | $54,070 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$4,350 | 8.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$1,756 | 4.25% flat (2026) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$4,136 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $43,827 | 81.1% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $46,428 | ÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the North Carolina state-tax burden means for Electrician take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $43,827 (81.1% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $46,428.
Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).
National context
Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $62,350 for Electricians with mean pay of $69,630 and total employment of 742,580. North Carolina sits at #48 on nominal pay and #49 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an Electrician make in North Carolina?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $54,070 for Electricians in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $47,000 and the 75th-percentile is $61,380.
- How are North Carolina Electrician salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- How many Electricians does North Carolina employ?
- BLS OES counts 23,660 Electricians employed in North Carolina in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Why is the BEA RPP for North Carolina different from a single CPI number?
- BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. North Carolina's overall index of 94.4 reflects rents 80.8, services 83.6, and goods 96.8.
- How wide is the wage spread in North Carolina?
- P10 to P90 spans $38,700 to $72,170. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Is North Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Electricians?
- Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $54,070 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $57,278. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Electricians comparing offers across regions.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for North Carolina?
- The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within North Carolina.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 47-2111, 2024 reference period.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
- Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
- See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.
Cross-comparison: see how North Carolina Electrician pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.