Average Salaries in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Explore salaries across 668 occupations in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $70.9K, +7.9% 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 2025 estimates. Coverage: 668 occupations and 1,343,480 total jobs in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
How the metro compares
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric. 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
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.
Highest-paid occupations in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $572.9K | 140 |
| Cardiologists | $528.8K | 150 |
| Obstetricians And Gynecologists | $353.7K | 160 |
| Neurologists | $337.6K | 90 |
| Chief Executives | $329K | 740 |
| Physicians, All Other | $327K | 2,400 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $289.8K | 390 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $277.6K | 910 |
| Dermatologists | $276.2K | 180 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $269.3K | 280 |
Largest occupations in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 40,540 | $38.9K |
| Retail Salespersons | 35,150 | $33.6K |
| Cashiers | 27,350 | $29.6K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 27,050 | $28.9K |
| Registered Nurses | 27,010 | $90.6K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 26,120 | $45K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 23,250 | $37.4K |
| Software Developers | 20,820 | $135.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 19,990 | $36.4K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 18,700 | $56.1K |
What Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Winding, Twisting, And Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 6.58 | $36.8K |
| Extruding And Forming Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Synthetic And Glass Fibers | 5.13 | $40.3K |
| Textile Bleaching And Dyeing Machine Operators And Tenders | 4.37 | $38K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 4.27 | $39.5K |
| Pipelayers | 4.06 | $49K |
| Credit Analysts | 3.90 | $100.6K |
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, And English As A Second Language Instructors | 3.44 | $57.5K |
| Financial Risk Specialists | 3.37 | $133.5K |
| Reservation And Transportation Ticket Agents And Travel Clerks | 3.22 | $44.6K |
| Textile, Apparel, And Furnishings Workers, All Other | 3.06 | $44.9K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
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.