How much does a Police Officer make in North Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $58,030 for Police Officers 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 $49,160 and the 75th-percentile is $68,570.

What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in North Carolina?

The 90th percentile lands at $80,920. 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 $68,570.

How wide is the wage spread in North Carolina?

P10 to P90 spans $44,850 to $80,920. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Police Officer 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.

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.

Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for North Carolina?

No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. North Carolina police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in North Carolina runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.

Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in North Carolina?

BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In North Carolina, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most North Carolina state and local positions at the senior level.

North Carolina Police Officer Salary: BLS $58K Median, Real $61K (2026)

TL;DR

Police Officers in North Carolina earn a BLS median of $58,030, with real take-home of $61,473 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Bottom quartile $49,160, top quartile $68,570. The P90 ($80,920) is roughly 1.8× the P10 ($44,850).
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $3,443 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #45 of 51; nominal rank is #42.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$44,850	$47,511
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,160	$52,077
P50 (median)	$58,030	$61,473
P75 (upper quartile)	$68,570	$72,638
P90 (top tier)	$80,920	$85,721
Mean	$60,520	$64,111
Employment	21,650 Police Officers 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 (Police Officer)	$58,030	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,826	8.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,924	4.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,439	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$46,841	80.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$49,620	÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Carolina state-tax burden means for Police Officer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $46,841 (80.7% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $49,620.

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 $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. North Carolina sits at #42 on nominal pay and #45 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Police Officer make in North Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $58,030 for Police Officers 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 $49,160 and the 75th-percentile is $68,570.
What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in North Carolina?: The 90th percentile lands at $80,920. 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 $68,570.
How wide is the wage spread in North Carolina?: P10 to P90 spans $44,850 to $80,920. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Police Officer 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.
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.
Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for North Carolina?: No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. North Carolina police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in North Carolina runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in North Carolina?: BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In North Carolina, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most North Carolina state and local positions at the senior level.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 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 Police Officer 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.