TL;DR

  • Median Financial Analyst salary in North Carolina: $102,220 nominal, $108,285 real (BEA RPP basis).
  • Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $6,065 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
  • Bottom quartile $80,240, top quartile $130,020. The P90 ($165,020) is roughly 2.6× the P10 ($62,640).
  • Financial Analyst ranking: #12 on the BLS table, #3 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile Nominal (BLS) Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)$62,640$66,357
P25 (lower quartile)$80,240$85,001
P50 (median)$102,220$108,285
P75 (upper quartile)$130,020$137,735
P90 (top tier)$165,020$174,811
Mean$108,010$114,419
Employment10,330 Financial Analysts in North Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

ComponentNorth Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP94.4
Goods96.8
Services83.6
Rents80.8

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

LayerAmountNote
Gross BLS P50 (Financial Analyst)$102,220nominal median
Federal income tax−$13,73513.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax−$3,8024.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)−$7,820SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)$76,86275.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)$81,423÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Carolina state-tax burden means for Financial Analyst take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $76,862 (75.2% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $81,423.

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 $101,350 for Financial Analysts with mean pay of $116,490 and total employment of 340,580. North Carolina sits at #12 on nominal pay and #3 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Analyst make in North Carolina?
BLS reports a median annual wage of $102,220 for Financial Analysts 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 $80,240 and the 75th-percentile is $130,020.
How are North Carolina Financial Analyst 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.
What does the top of the Financial Analyst pay scale look like in North Carolina?
The 90th percentile lands at $165,020. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $130,020.
How many Financial Analysts does North Carolina employ?
BLS OES counts 10,330 Financial Analysts 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.
How wide is the wage spread in North Carolina?
P10 to P90 spans $62,640 to $165,020. 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 Financial Analysts?
Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $102,220 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $108,285. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Financial Analysts comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Financial Analyst salary numbers?
BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Sources & methodology

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2051, 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 Financial Analyst 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.