Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Highest-Paying Occupations in Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
Figures describe the Western 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 (6 such occupations here).
Top 25 of 472 occupations
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $420,440 | $202.13 | Not published |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $371,190 | $178.46 | 490 |
| 3 | Nurse Anesthetists | $270,400 | $130.00 | 70 |
| 4 | Dentists, General | $213,190 | $102.50 | 200 |
| 5 | Chief Executives | $203,790 | $97.98 | 60 |
| 6 | Family Medicine Physicians | $187,660 | $90.22 | 150 |
| 7 | Psychiatrists | $155,400 | $74.71 | 30 |
| 8 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $153,290 | $73.70 | 130 |
| 9 | Optometrists | $148,840 | $71.56 | 70 |
| 10 | Marketing Managers | $146,610 | $70.49 | 170 |
| 11 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $146,360 | $70.37 | 420 |
| 12 | Fundraising Managers | $140,140 | $67.38 | 60 |
| 13 | Pharmacists | $132,130 | $63.52 | 580 |
| 14 | Purchasing Managers | $124,340 | $59.78 | 70 |
| 15 | Software Developers | $124,010 | $59.62 | 610 |
| 16 | Computer Network Architects | $124,000 | $59.62 | 170 |
| 17 | Nurse Practitioners | $123,770 | $59.50 | 420 |
| 18 | Financial Managers | $122,480 | $58.88 | 560 |
| 19 | Veterinarians | $119,320 | $57.37 | 150 |
| 20 | Electrical Engineers | $118,870 | $57.15 | 140 |
| 21 | Database Architects | $118,570 | $57.01 | 50 |
| 22 | Human Resources Managers | $118,150 | $56.81 | 170 |
| 23 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $116,150 | Not published | 60 |
| 24 | Physician Assistants | $115,460 | $55.51 | 340 |
| 25 | Industrial Production Managers | $114,300 | $54.95 | 560 |
The full list of every published occupation here is on the Western 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.