Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Highest-Paying Occupations in Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Figures describe the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, a BLS-defined region outside metropolitan areas — not a single city or town. Occupations are ranked by published median annual wage; occupations where BLS suppressed the annual median or publishes only hourly wages are not ranked (3 such occupations here).
Top 25 of 438 occupations
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nurse Anesthetists | $285,030 | $137.04 | 40 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $264,260 | $127.05 | 310 |
| 3 | Psychiatrists | $254,660 | $122.43 | 50 |
| 4 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $208,510 | $100.24 | Not published |
| 5 | Chief Executives | $208,020 | $100.01 | 40 |
| 6 | Dentists, General | $207,000 | $99.52 | 140 |
| 7 | Family Medicine Physicians | $174,990 | $84.13 | 100 |
| 8 | Marketing Managers | $163,160 | $78.44 | 110 |
| 9 | Optometrists | $157,380 | $75.66 | 40 |
| 10 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $154,340 | $74.20 | 150 |
| 11 | Natural Sciences Managers | $153,140 | $73.63 | 70 |
| 12 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $146,480 | $70.42 | 270 |
| 13 | Psychologists, All Other | $142,600 | $68.56 | 40 |
| 14 | Pharmacists | $132,130 | $63.53 | 510 |
| 15 | Nurse Practitioners | $126,670 | $60.90 | 260 |
| 16 | Electrical Engineers | $126,030 | $60.59 | 120 |
| 17 | Financial Managers | $123,550 | $59.40 | 420 |
| 18 | Software Developers | $123,490 | $59.37 | 340 |
| 19 | Veterinarians | $119,930 | $57.66 | 90 |
| 20 | Purchasing Managers | $118,930 | $57.18 | 80 |
| 21 | Industrial Production Managers | $117,620 | $56.55 | 700 |
| 22 | Human Resources Managers | $116,770 | $56.14 | 170 |
| 23 | Physician Assistants | $114,990 | $55.28 | 340 |
| 24 | Facilities Managers | $111,500 | $53.61 | 190 |
| 25 | Training and Development Managers | $111,130 | $53.43 | 30 |
The full list of every published occupation here is on the Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.