Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The highest paying job in North Carolina is Dermatologists, with a median salary of $367,350 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in NC based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025
See how North Carolina compares to other states. Click any state for its top-paying jobs.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown including percentile data and state-by-state comparisons.
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dermatologists | $367,350 | $360,910 | 800 |
| 2 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $339,350 | $340,980 | 710 |
| 3 | Neurologists | $325,550 | $284,770 | 180 |
| 4 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $323,630 | $372,620 | 560 |
| 5 | Chief Executives | $314,290 | $347,690 | 1,930 |
| 6 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $289,780 | $283,840 | 1,700 |
| 7 | Physicians, Pathologists | $248,940 | $285,200 | 340 |
| 8 | Orthodontists | $224,990 | $277,320 | 160 |
| 9 | Nurse Anesthetists | $224,610 | $226,780 | 3,340 |
| 10 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $224,040 | $330,620 | N/A |
| 11 | Podiatrists | $215,420 | $241,300 | 240 |
| 12 | Family Medicine Physicians | $215,230 | $220,360 | 1,520 |
| 13 | Dentists, General | $207,000 | $207,550 | 4,140 |
| 14 | Pediatricians, General | $183,550 | $183,450 | 740 |
| 15 | Physicists | $174,180 | $153,120 | 150 |
| 16 | Natural Sciences Managers | $173,870 | $186,890 | 6,010 |
| 17 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $172,860 | $184,680 | 25,650 |
| 18 | Psychiatrists | $168,880 | $201,840 | 620 |
| 19 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,840 | $173,390 | 6,960 |
| 20 | Financial Managers | $166,780 | $196,240 | 22,460 |
| 21 | Marketing Managers | $165,480 | $173,660 | 10,790 |
| 22 | Optometrists | $161,560 | $161,030 | 1,140 |
| 23 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $151,540 | $148,500 | 2,240 |
| 24 | Sales Managers | $150,470 | $168,100 | 16,920 |
| 25 | Medical Dosimetrists | $147,830 | $149,910 | 140 |
The top-paying careers in North Carolina are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, Dermatologists, pays $295,998 more than the state average of $71,351 per year.
At the 90th percentile, experienced Dermatologists professionals in NC can earn up to $475,970 annually — making it one of the most lucrative career paths in the state.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $147,830, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
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See how North Carolina's top salaries compare to other states.
Rankings are based on median annual salary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates. We use median rather than mean salary because it better represents typical earnings and is less affected by outliers.
Only occupations with state-level data published by BLS are included. Some specialized or rare occupations may not have data for every state. For full methodology details, see our Methodology page.