Registered Nurse Salary in North Carolina (BLS May 2025)
Registered nurses in North Carolina earned a median of $84,350 a year ($40.56 an hour) in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is 14% below the national RN median of $97,550, and it ranks 33rd of the 50 states and D.C.
Median salary
$84,350
Median hourly
$40.56
Average (mean)
$90,470
RNs employed
111,120
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141), retrieved 2026-10-22. Staff (wage-and-salary) jobs in all settings; excludes travel-contract stipends.
RN pay range in North Carolina
Half of North Carolina's registered nurses earned between $78,770 and $102,040. The spread from the 10th to the 90th percentile is $42,560, which reflects experience, setting (hospital, clinic, home health) and region within the state.
| Percentile | North Carolina annual | Hourly equivalent | U.S. annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $67,660 | $32.53 | $68,940 |
| 25th percentile | $78,770 | $37.87 | $80,330 |
| Median (50th) | $84,350 | $40.55 | $97,550 |
| 75th percentile | $102,040 | $49.06 | $112,350 |
| 90th percentile | $110,220 | $52.99 | $137,470 |
Hourly equivalent = annual ÷ 2,080 hours, the convention BLS uses to annualize hourly wages. BLS publishes the median hourly wage directly ($40.56); small differences are rounding.
What a median RN paycheck looks like in North Carolina
Gross pay at the North Carolina median, and the federal taxes on it for a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction. Retirement, insurance and other payroll deductions vary by employer and are not included.
| Yearly | Monthly | Every 2 weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay (median) | $84,350 | $7,029 | $3,244 |
| Federal income tax | $9,727 | $811 | $374 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,453 | $538 | $248 |
| North Carolina income tax | Not included (we only publish sourced state tax figures) | ||
Taxes: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 brackets and standard deduction, SSA 2026 wage base. See methodology. Run your own numbers in the tax calculator.
North Carolina vs neighboring states
Nurses near a state line often compare commuting or moving across it. Median RN pay in the states that border North Carolina:
| State | Median salary | Median hourly | vs North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $84,350 | $40.56 | — |
| Virginia | $93,600 | $45.00 | +$9,250 |
| Georgia | $93,550 | $44.98 | +$9,200 |
| South Carolina | $82,360 | $39.60 | −$1,990 |
| Tennessee | $81,500 | $39.18 | −$2,850 |
A nurse licensed in a Nurse Licensure Compact state can work in other compact states without a new license — check the compact license lookup.
Staff RN vs travel nurse pay in North Carolina
Staff RN, median (BLS)
$1,622/week
$84,350 ÷ 52, all taxable, with employer benefits.
Travel nurse, taxable (our estimate)
$1,584/week
$44/hr × 36 hours, plus tax-free stipends of up to $1,267–$1,750/week (GSA lodging + M&IE) with a qualifying tax home.
The stipend ceiling is the most an agency can pay tax-free, not what a typical offer pays, and it only applies when you keep a tax home elsewhere. Travel contracts also come with gaps between assignments, duplicated housing costs and thinner benefits, so the honest comparison is an actual offer against your actual staff pay.
The travel nurse pay figure in this section are our own editorial estimates, reviewed July 31, 2026 — not survey or government wage data. How we produce these numbers.
Travel nurse pay in North Carolina · North Carolina take-home calculator · Staff vs travel break-even calculator · North Carolina per diem rates
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in North Carolina?
Registered nurses in North Carolina earned a median of $84,350 a year ($40.56 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average (mean) was $90,470 ($43.50 an hour). That median is 14% below the national RN median of $97,550 and ranks 33rd of the 50 states and D.C.
What do the highest-paid nurses in North Carolina make?
The top 10% of registered nurses in North Carolina earned at least $110,220 a year, and the top quarter at least $102,040. The bottom 10% earned less than $67,660. These are BLS percentile estimates for staff RNs across all settings, not offers for a specific job.
What is a registered nurse's paycheck in North Carolina?
At the North Carolina median of $84,350, gross pay is about $7,029 a month or $3,244 every two weeks. For a single filer with the standard deduction, 2026 federal income tax plus Social Security and Medicare come to about $16,180 a year. North Carolina state income tax is not included in that figure, so actual take-home is lower.
How many registered nurses work in North Carolina?
BLS estimated 111,120 registered nurses employed in North Carolina in May 2025, the 8th largest RN workforce of the 50 states and D.C.
Do travel nurses make more than staff nurses in North Carolina?
Usually in gross terms. The staff RN median in North Carolina works out to about $1,622 a week (BLS). Our editorial estimate for travel nurse taxable pay in North Carolina is about $1,584 a week at 36 hours, and a traveler with a qualifying tax home can also receive tax-free stipends up to $1,267–$1,750 a week depending on the GSA locality. Travel contracts carry costs staff jobs do not (two households, gaps between contracts, fewer benefits), so compare real offers with the calculator.
About this data
These figures are the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) estimates for May 2025, the latest published. OEWS surveys employers, so it measures staff (wage-and-salary) registered nurses in all settings — hospitals, clinics, home health, schools — and excludes self-employed nurses and travel-contract stipends. Means are pulled up by high earners, which is why we lead with the median.
See registered nurse salary in every state for the full ranking.