Nurse Salary Guide 2024
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Average Nurse Salary in

North Carolina

Average Nurse Salary in North Carolina

North Carolina is one of the lower paying states for registered nurses. The registered nurse salary in North Carolina is $72,220 per year. This means that nurses in North Carolina earn an average of $34.72 per hour. On the other hand, the national average for registered nurses is $77,600 per year. This annual salary is approximately $37.31 per hour.

(Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Use Salary Explorer to see which cities in North Carolina are paying registered nurses the most.

Top Nursing Salary States

Highest Paying Cities in

North Carolina

for...

Highest Paying Cities in North Carolina for...

Travel Nurse

Average gross weekly nurse pay in the top cities/wider metro area

Whiteville - $2,148
Spruce Pine - $2,060
Brevard - $2,052
High Point - $2,028
Asheville - $2,021
Tarboro - $2,020
Durham - $2,016
Marion - $1,948
Ahoskie - $1,936
Greenville - $1,920

(Trusted Health Data) (Data courtesy of Trusted Health, May 2021)

Registered Nurse

Average annual nurse salary in the following cities/wider metro areas

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area: $77,030
Fayetteville, NC Metro Area: $77,000
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area: $75,510
Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area: $75,440
Raleigh, NC Metro Area: $75,380
Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area: $75,000
Burlington, NC Metro Area: $70,880
Asheville, NC Metro Area: $62,810
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metro Area: $62,710
Goldsboro, NC Metro Area: $62,390
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC Metro Area: $62,160
Jacksonville, NC Metro Area: $61,990
Rocky Mount, NC Metro Area: $61,990
Wilmington, NC Metro Area: $61,770
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metro Area: $61,030
New Bern, NC Metro Area: $60,530

(Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Nurse Specialties

Average annual nurse salary for the following nurse specialties

Med/Surg Nurse - $92,782 (Range of $83,937 - $103,362)
Progressive Care Nurse - $82,718 (Range of $72,813 - $93,772)‍
Operating Room Nurse - $75,238 (Range of $67,506 - $83,174)‍
Emergency Nurse - $73,200 (Range of $65,366 - $81,303)‍
ICU Nurse - $72,709 (Range of $65,511 - $79,015) ‍
Labor and Delivery Nurse - $70,700 (Range of $64,300 - $80,000)‍
Pediatric Nurse - $69,100 (Range of $62,700 - $79,200)

(Data courtesy of Salary.com) (Data courtesy of Salary.com, May 2021)

Cost of Living

Although nurse salaries in North Carolina may be 7% lower than the national average, living in North Carolina costs about average. North Carolina ranks close to the national cost of living index. While your nursing salary may be lower, the cost of rent alone may make up for it. For more detailed cost of living by city, check out the nurse Salary Explorer.

(Data courtesy of World Population Review)

Job Growth for Nurses

North Carolina is a popular destination for staff and travel nurses alike. In 2021, North Carolina was home to more than 87,250 nurses.

However, North Carolina has a strong job outlook, as the number of nurses in North Carolina is expected to grow. Registered nurse jobs are forecasted to grow by more than 3.1% between 2021 and 2023, bringing the total number of working nurses in North Carolina to more than 89,940

(Data courtesy of Projections Central)

See What Your Nursing Salary Could Be in Your City

We combined proprietary data with official nurse salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create the most comprehensive view of nurse salary in the United States. We present our findings in hourly pay for staff nurses and gross weekly pay for travel nurses to account for the different ways nurses think about pay.

Use Salary Explorer to:

View facilities in any city and save them for later when you’re ready to find your next job.
Get detailed insights on what it actually costs to live in the city, including average rent, groceries and more.
Toggle between Staff Nurse and Travel Nurse pay and compare against state and national pay.

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