How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in North Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,990 for Mechanical Engineers 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 $82,110 and the 75th-percentile is $124,940.

How many Mechanical Engineers does North Carolina employ?

BLS OES counts 9,390 Mechanical Engineers 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 $68,340 to $157,710. 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 Mechanical Engineers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $100,990 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,982. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Mechanical Engineers comparing offers across regions.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does PE license raise mechanical engineer pay in North Carolina?

PE (Professional Engineer) license through North Carolina's engineering board typically adds 5-15% to the BLS-reported median for mechanical engineers, concentrated in industries that require sealed drawings — civil-mechanical (HVAC for buildings), pressure-vessel, oil/gas, and government contracts. In R&D, defense (where security clearance dominates), and consumer-product design, PE has limited wage premium. North Carolina follows the NCEES path: BS-ABET + FE exam + 4 years of progressive experience + PE exam.

North Carolina Mechanical Engineer Salary: BLS $101K Median, Real $107K (2026)

TL;DR

$100,990 is the BLS median wage for Mechanical Engineers in North Carolina; $106,982 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Quartile range $82,110 (bottom 25%) to $124,940 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $68,340 to $157,710.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $5,992 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
State ranks #24 nationally on nominal wage, #21 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$68,340	$72,395
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,110	$86,982
P50 (median)	$100,990	$106,982
P75 (upper quartile)	$124,940	$132,353
P90 (top tier)	$157,710	$167,067
Mean	$106,210	$112,512
Employment	9,390 Mechanical Engineers 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 (Mechanical Engineer)	$100,990	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,465	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,750	4.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,726	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$76,049	75.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$80,562	÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Carolina state-tax burden means for Mechanical Engineer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $76,049 (75.3% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $80,562.

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 $102,320 for Mechanical Engineers with mean pay of $110,080 and total employment of 286,760. North Carolina sits at #24 on nominal pay and #21 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in North Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,990 for Mechanical Engineers 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 $82,110 and the 75th-percentile is $124,940.
How many Mechanical Engineers does North Carolina employ?: BLS OES counts 9,390 Mechanical Engineers 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 $68,340 to $157,710. 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 Mechanical Engineers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $100,990 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,982. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Mechanical Engineers comparing offers across regions.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does PE license raise mechanical engineer pay in North Carolina?: PE (Professional Engineer) license through North Carolina's engineering board typically adds 5-15% to the BLS-reported median for mechanical engineers, concentrated in industries that require sealed drawings — civil-mechanical (HVAC for buildings), pressure-vessel, oil/gas, and government contracts. In R&D, defense (where security clearance dominates), and consumer-product design, PE has limited wage premium. North Carolina follows the NCEES path: BS-ABET + FE exam + 4 years of progressive experience + PE exam.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 17-2141, 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.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how North Carolina Mechanical Engineer 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.