Average Salaries in Jacksonville, NC
Explore salaries across 224 occupations in Jacksonville, NC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $52.6K, -14.5% 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: 224 occupations and 47,540 total jobs in Jacksonville, NC.
How the metro compares
Jacksonville, NC pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Jacksonville, NC is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Dentists, General. 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 Jacksonville, 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 Jacksonville, NC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $165.9K | 70 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $157.4K | 30 |
| Pharmacists | $130.8K | 90 |
| Physician Assistants | $127.4K | 100 |
| Software Developers | $125.5K | 90 |
| Veterinarians | $123.6K | 30 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $117.6K | 70 |
| Financial Managers | $117.3K | 100 |
| Engineers, All Other | $113.0K | 50 |
| Mechanical Engineers | $106.9K | 40 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Jacksonville, NC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | 2,190 | $23.4K |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,040 | $28.3K |
| Cashiers | 1,850 | $25.9K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 1,560 | $27.3K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,270 | $31.1K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,250 | $32.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 1,110 | $27.0K |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 970 | $47.2K |
| Registered Nurses | 890 | $77.9K |
| Office Clerks, General | 860 | $36.1K |
What Jacksonville, 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 Jacksonville, NC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Jacksonville, NC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | 9.52 | $23.4K |
| Pipelayers | 9.40 | $39.1K |
| Teachers And Instructors, All Other | 6.31 | $50.7K |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other | 4.91 | $61.4K |
| Psychiatric Technicians | 3.99 | $33.5K |
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, And English As A Second Language Instructors | 3.91 | $46.7K |
| Motorboat Mechanics And Service Technicians | 3.72 | $48.5K |
| Procurement Clerks | 3.36 | $50.7K |
| Detectives And Criminal Investigators | 3.21 | $90.7K |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 3.18 | $18.1K |
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 Jacksonville, 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.