Average Salaries in Winston-Salem, NC
Explore salaries across 473 occupations in Winston-Salem, NC. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $63.9K, -2.8% 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: 473 occupations and 259,960 total jobs in Winston-Salem, NC.
How the metro compares
Wages in Winston-Salem, NC track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Winston-Salem, NC is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Emergency Medicine Physicians. 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 Winston-Salem, 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 Winston-Salem, NC
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $319.2K | N/A |
| Radiologists | $317.3K | N/A |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $310K | N/A |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $293.8K | 80 |
| Chief Executives | $273.7K | 80 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $258.8K | N/A |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $216.1K | 440 |
| Dentists, General | $168.7K | 230 |
| Optometrists | $162.5K | 70 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $160.9K | 700 |
Largest occupations in Winston-Salem, NC
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 10,180 | $86.1K |
| Retail Salespersons | 6,790 | $30.1K |
| Cashiers | 6,220 | $28.1K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 6,120 | $27.3K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 5,490 | $37.2K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 4,900 | $28.6K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 4,890 | $35.1K |
| Nursing Assistants | 4,450 | $38.7K |
| Medical Secretaries And Administrative Assistants | 3,980 | $46.4K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 3,940 | $29.6K |
What Winston-Salem, 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 Winston-Salem, NC than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Winston-Salem, NC
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Winding, Twisting, And Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 20.31 | $37.1K |
| Upholsterers | 12.28 | $38.3K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 8.67 | $36.4K |
| Textile Bleaching And Dyeing Machine Operators And Tenders | 7.52 | $37K |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 6.07 | $38.7K |
| Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators And Tenders | 5.62 | $36.1K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 5.46 | $27.3K |
| Textile, Apparel, And Furnishings Workers, All Other | 5.05 | $37.7K |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 4.91 | $216.1K |
| Cutters And Trimmers, Hand | 4.51 | $45.5K |
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 Winston-Salem, 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.