Is $80,000 a good salary in North Carolina?
$80,000 in North Carolina is an above-median household income - the 53rd percentile of North Carolina households in the Census ACS 2024 distribution (49th nationally). A single filer keeps about $61,904 after federal, North Carolina state, and FICA taxes - roughly $5,159/mo at a 23% effective rate. Statewide median rent takes 19% of gross, inside the affordable band.
Estimate only - not financial advice. Methodology and sources.
Census ACS 2024 1-year data (tables B19080, B19013), verified . Reviewed by kgenots, Editor. Methodology
North Carolina household income distribution (ACS 2024)
North Carolina's own published cut-points - where $80,000 sits is highlighted. These are the actual Census quintile thresholds for North Carolina, not the national distribution rescaled.
| Percentile | Band | Household income |
|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | Bottom 20% | $31,378✓ passed |
| 40th percentile | Lower-middle | $58,742✓ passed |
| 50th percentile (median) | Median household | $73,958✓ passed |
| 60th percentile | Upper-middle | $92,125 |
| 80th percentile | Top 20% starts | $147,599 |
| 95th percentile (top 5%) | Top 5% starts | $250,001 |
$80,000 clears the 50th percentile (median) threshold in North Carolina - placing it at the 53rd percentile of state households.
Take-home pay on $80,000 in North Carolina
| Gross income | $80,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$9,214 |
| North Carolina state income tax | −$2,763 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$4,960 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$1,160 |
| Take-home (net) | $61,904 |
That's about $5,159/month net, an effective tax rate of 22.6%. North Carolina's average combined sales tax is 7.03%, charged on taxable spending out of that net - a consumption cost on top of the income tax above.
Single filer, 2025 federal brackets + standard deduction. State tax uses North Carolina's top/flat marginal rate, so in progressive-bracket states (e.g. California, New York) the state line is an upper bound and your actual net is likely a little higher. Married-filing-jointly and pre-tax 401(k)/health deductions also change the result. Estimate only - North Carolina take-home detail →
Occupations near $80,000 (single earner)
BLS national median wages within ±15% of $80,000 - gives texture for which careers and seniorities land at this income level.
| Occupation | Stage | National wage |
|---|---|---|
| Truck driver (heavy) | senior | $80,000 |
| Lawyer | entry-level | $79,000 |
| Accountant | mid-career | $81,680 |
| Petroleum engineer | entry-level | $84,000 |
| Air traffic controller | entry-level | $75,000 |
| Police officer | mid-career | $74,910 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. National medians; metro/state variance can be ±30%. Career stage estimates: entry ≈ 25th pct, senior ≈ 75th pct of the same SOC code.
Lifestyle context - rent burden in North Carolina
At $80,000 gross, statewide median rent eats 19% of income - inside the affordable band. Metro areas (LA, SF, NYC, Boston, Seattle) typically run 30-50% above the statewide median.
Home affordability at $80,000
Using the 28% rule on a 30-year mortgage, $80,000 gross supports a home purchase up to about $215,850. North Carolina median home value is $290,500 - you can afford 74% of the median home, so buying requires lower-priced markets, a larger down payment, or co-buying.
How $80,000 ranks in neighboring states
State-adjusted percentile shows the same income placed in North Carolina's contiguous neighbors. Relevant for relocation, remote-work geography, or border-town decisions.
| State | Median HH | % vs median | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina (current) | $73,958 | +8% | 53rd |
| Tennessee | $71,997 | +11% | 55th |
| South Carolina | $72,350 | +11% | 54th |
| Georgia | $79,991 | +0% | 50th |
| Virginia | $92,090 | -13% | 44th |
$80,000 ranks similarly in
Other incomes in North Carolina
Common questions
- Is $80,000 a good household income in North Carolina?
- It sits at roughly the 53rd percentile of North Carolina households in the state's own Census ACS 2024 income distribution (North Carolina median $73,958). Nationally that's about the 49th percentile. Whether "good" depends on household size, debt, and metro cost of living - state figures smooth over big within-state variation.
- How does $80,000 compare to the North Carolina median?
- It's 8% above the North Carolina median household income of $73,958 (Census ACS 2024, table B19013). Half of North Carolina households earn less than $73,958, half earn more.
- How exact is the 53rd percentile figure for $80,000?
- It is interpolated, not read off a published table. The Census publishes North Carolina household income only at quintile cut-points, and $80,000 falls between the median ($73,958) and the 60th-percentile cut-point ($92,125). We interpolate linearly between those two published points, so the figure is accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal.
- What is the highest income North Carolina's data can rank?
- North Carolina's published 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 level at which the Census top-codes this measure. That means percentile positions in North Carolina stay meaningful across the full range shown here, unlike in higher-income states where the top bracket is censored.
Full data sources and formulas: /sources.
Source and methodology
Data source. North Carolina household income distribution comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates: table B19080 (quintile upper limits) and table B19013 (median household income), retrieved via the Census Reporter API on 2026-07-11.
How the percentile is derived. The Census publishes North Carolina only at the cut-points shown in the table above. We interpolate linearly between the two published points that bracket $80,000 ($73,958 and $92,125). We do not rescale one national curve by a state median, which is what most percentile calculators do.
Limitations. Interpolated positions are accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal. North Carolina's 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 top-code ceiling, so ranks stay meaningful across the range shown. State-level figures also smooth over large metro-to-rural variation within North Carolina.
US household income percentile calculator → Income percentile by state (all 50) → Full methodology →
Estimate only - not financial advice. Percentiles are interpolated from US Census Bureau ACS household income distribution tables and describe where an income falls nationally - they are not a judgment of what you should earn or financial advice. Cost of living varies widely by state and metro.
Reviewed by kgenots, Editor · editorial policy