Salary · NC · SOC 29-1141

Registered Nurse (RN) salary in North Carolina, per year and per hour

BLS data for May 2025. Median, mean, and percentile pay for registered nurses in North Carolina, with every metro area BLS publishes.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, released May 15, 2026. Publisher page

Quick answer

The median pay for registered nurses in North Carolina was $84,350 a year, or $40.56 an hour, in May 2025 (BLS). The middle 80% earned $67,660 to $110,220. About 111,120 were employed.

Run it in Rivvi

Benchmark registered nurse pay in North Carolina

Benchmark in Rivvi

Free to start, no card. Opens Rivvi, the AI workspace for healthcare teams, with this question filled in.

Registered Nurse pay in North Carolina vs the US

Registered Nurse wages in North Carolina and the US, May 2025
Measure	NC annual	NC hourly	US annual
Median (50th percentile)	$84,350	$40.56	$97,550
Mean (average)	$90,470	$43.50	$101,420
10th percentile	$67,660	$32.53	$68,940
25th percentile	$78,770	$37.87	$80,330
75th percentile	$102,040	$49.06	$112,350
90th percentile	$110,220	$52.99	$137,470

Employment in North Carolina: 111,120. Location quotient: 1.03 (1.0 = the national share of jobs).

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Publisher page

Registered Nurse salary by metro area in North Carolina

Registered Nurse median wage by metro area, North Carolina
Metro area	Median annual	Median hourly	Employed
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$90,620	$43.57	27,010
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$84,830	$40.78	12,780
Winston-Salem, NC	$86,120	$41.40	10,180
Greensboro-High Point, NC	$82,860	$39.84	6,240
Wilmington, NC	$80,970	$38.93	5,040
Asheville, NC	$81,590	$39.22	4,680
Greenville, NC	$81,670	$39.26	3,770
Fayetteville, NC	$83,060	$39.93	3,430
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	$80,060	$38.49	3,020
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC	$81,520	$39.19	1,510
Rocky Mount, NC	$82,300	$39.57	1,180
Burlington, NC	$84,180	$40.47	1,080
Goldsboro, NC	$82,740	$39.78	950
Jacksonville, NC	$84,750	$40.74	870
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$89,450	$43.00	16,870

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Publisher page

Put this salary on your site

Free for career sites and schools. The box shows the BLS figures and period and links back here.

Registered Nurse salary in North Carolina

Median pay: $84,350 a year ($40.56 an hour)

Middle 80% earn $67,660 to $110,220 a year

Employed: 111,120

BLS OEWS, May 2025. Source: Rivvi

HTML to paste on your site

<div style="font:14px/1.45 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#222;border:1px solid #E6E6EE;border-radius:12px;padding:14px 16px;max-width:360px;background:#fff"><div style="font-weight:600;font-size:15px;margin-bottom:6px">Registered Nurse salary in North Carolina</div><div style="margin:2px 0">Median pay: <strong>$84,350</strong> a year ($40.56 an hour)</div><div style="margin:2px 0">Middle 80% earn $67,660 to $110,220 a year</div><div style="margin:2px 0">Employed: 111,120</div><div style="margin-top:8px;font-size:12px;color:#555">BLS OEWS, May 2025. Source: <a href="https://rivvi.ai/salary/registered-nurse/nc" style="color:#3C38C9">Rivvi</a></div></div>

Questions

How much does an RN make per hour in North Carolina?

The median hourly wage was $40.56 in May 2025, per BLS. The 10th percentile was $32.53 and the 90th was $52.99.

What is the average RN salary in North Carolina?

BLS reports a mean (average) of $90,470 a year and a median of $84,350 for May 2025. The median is the middle wage; the mean is pulled up by the highest earners.

Do registered nurses in North Carolina earn more than the US median?

The North Carolina median of $84,350 is 14% lower than the US median of $97,550 (BLS, May 2025).

How does North Carolina rank for registered nurse pay?

North Carolina ranks 33 of 51 states (plus DC) by median annual wage for registered nurses (BLS, May 2025).

Where do these numbers come from?

The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates, SOC 29-1141. Figures BLS did not publish are left out.