Average Salaries in Wilmington, NC
Explore salaries across 419 occupations in Wilmington, NC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $64.3K, -2.2% 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: 419 occupations and 184,430 total jobs in Wilmington, NC.
How the metro compares
Wages in Wilmington, NC track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Wilmington, NC is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Chief Executives. 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 Wilmington, 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.
Highest-paid occupations in Wilmington, NC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $298.7K | 30 |
| Physicians, All Other | $253K | 450 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $218.8K | 150 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $207K | N/A |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $187.4K | 170 |
| Dentists, General | $185.7K | 220 |
| Commercial Pilots | $172.3K | 40 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $169.8K | 190 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $166.9K | 330 |
| Optometrists | $163.8K | 120 |
Largest occupations in Wilmington, NC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 6,310 | $30.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 5,100 | $27.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 5,040 | $81K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 4,920 | $30.6K |
| Cashiers | 4,860 | $28.5K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 3,880 | $27.5K |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 3,440 | $34.9K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 3,430 | $35.3K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 3,310 | $37.2K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,850 | $38.1K |
What Wilmington, 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 Wilmington, NC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Wilmington, NC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Extruding And Forming Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Synthetic And Glass Fibers | 13.01 | N/A |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | 5.44 | N/A |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 4.92 | $27.5K |
| Fire Inspectors And Investigators | 4.82 | $45.1K |
| Motorboat Mechanics And Service Technicians | 4.67 | $58.2K |
| Exercise Physiologists | 4.24 | $55.2K |
| Nuclear Engineers | 4.15 | $129.7K |
| Helpers--Electricians | 4.08 | $37.7K |
| Pipelayers | 4.01 | $46.1K |
| Chemists | 3.97 | $78.1K |
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 Wilmington, 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.