Average Salaries in Burlington, NC
Explore salaries across 251 occupations in Burlington, NC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $56.8K, -7.6% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 251 occupations and 61,390 total jobs in Burlington, NC.
How the metro compares
Burlington, NC pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Burlington, NC is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Physicians, All Other. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Burlington, NC
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Burlington, NC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $238.5K | 70 |
| Dentists, General | $171.0K | 70 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $157.1K | 180 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $139.2K | 50 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $134.1K | 40 |
| Pharmacists | $133.4K | 150 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $130.9K | 80 |
| Financial Managers | $130.3K | 150 |
| Sales Managers | $128.8K | 180 |
| Chief Executives | $126.2K | 30 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Burlington, NC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 2,370 | $28.3K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 2,150 | $35.2K |
| Cashiers | 1,980 | $27.3K |
| Clinical Laboratory Technologists And Technicians | 1,830 | $49.2K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 1,750 | $26.7K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,710 | $35.0K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 1,460 | $28.1K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,450 | $39.5K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 1,190 | $23.4K |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,130 | $40.6K |
What Burlington, NC specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Burlington, NC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Burlington, NC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Bleaching And Dyeing Machine Operators And Tenders | 55.36 | $29.9K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 47.68 | $35.0K |
| Textile, Apparel, And Furnishings Workers, All Other | 20.76 | $36.9K |
| Textile Winding, Twisting, And Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 19.19 | $35.6K |
| Clinical Laboratory Technologists And Technicians | 12.09 | $49.2K |
| Couriers And Messengers | 11.01 | $35.5K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 5.94 | $26.7K |
| Molding, Coremaking, And Casting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.84 | $48.1K |
| Phlebotomists | 4.78 | $42.4K |
| Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 4.65 | $47.3K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Burlington, NC
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.