How much does an RN make in North Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $81,860 for RNs 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 $74,710 and the 75th-percentile is $98,720.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in North Carolina?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 94.4 for North Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $86,717 — what the $81,860 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $79,143 to $104,577.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $107,110. 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 $98,720.

Is North Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $81,860 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $86,717. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for RNs 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.

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.

Travel RN vs staff RN in North Carolina — which earns more on a real basis?

Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In North Carolina, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

North Carolina Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $82K Median, Real $87K (2026)

TL;DR

North Carolina pays RNs a BLS median of $81,860 — the more useful number is $86,717, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Wage envelope: $64,180 (P10) to $107,110 (P90), with quartiles at $74,710 and $98,720.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $4,857 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #42 of 51; nominal rank is #32.
NLC compact membership in North Carolina means RNs can take assignments in any other compact state on a single license.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$64,180	$67,988
P25 (lower quartile)	$74,710	$79,143
P50 (median)	$81,860	$86,717
P75 (upper quartile)	$98,720	$104,577
P90 (top tier)	$107,110	$113,465
Mean	$86,270	$91,389
Employment	108,510 RNs 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 (RN)	$81,860	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,256	11.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,937	4.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,262	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$63,404	77.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$67,166	÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $63,404 (77.5% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $67,166.

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 $93,600 for RNs with mean pay of $98,430 and total employment of 3,282,010. North Carolina sits at #32 on nominal pay and #42 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina falls 10 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — North Carolina (NLC)

North Carolina participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2017. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in North Carolina without applying for a separate North Carolina license. North Carolina-issued multistate licenses are reciprocally recognized in 36 other Compact states (37 jurisdictions total in 2026), eliminating the per-state endorsement workflow ($100–$500 + 4–16 week processing) for travel and per-diem RN work.

North Carolina has been a Compact participant for 9 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.

Source: NCSBN compact implementation tracker — re-synced quarterly. See NLC reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an RN make in North Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $81,860 for RNs 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 $74,710 and the 75th-percentile is $98,720.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in North Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 94.4 for North Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $86,717 — what the $81,860 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $79,143 to $104,577.
What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in North Carolina?: The 90th percentile lands at $107,110. 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 $98,720.
Is North Carolina a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for RNs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 94.4 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $81,860 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $86,717. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for RNs 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.
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.
Travel RN vs staff RN in North Carolina — which earns more on a real basis?: Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In North Carolina, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1141, 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 RN 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.