Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Salaries

The Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Metropolitan Statistical Area is tracked by BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics across 472 occupations in the May 2025 release, each representing a distinct SOC code where local employment is large enough to report without triggering confidentiality suppression. Averaging the top-ranked occupation medians gives roughly $165,154 per year, a rough midpoint that helps you compare this metro to peer cities and the national picture.

At the top of the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area ranking, Emergency Medicine Physicians pays a median of $420,440. Second-ranked is Physicians, All Other at $371,190, followed by Nurse Anesthetists at $270,400. At the bottom of the reported-occupation range, Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other pays $28,370. This spread between top-specialist and entry-service pay is characteristic of U.S. metro labor markets, though the specific ratio varies by metro economic base.

Metro medians reflect where the job is located, not where you live, relevant if you plan to commute across MSA boundaries. BLS defines metro areas using OMB's MSA delineations, so Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area spans the central city plus economically integrated surrounding counties. When using this page, drill into individual occupation rows to see percentile spread (the top 10% often earns 2× or more than the median) and compare against the occupation's national profile to see whether Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area pays a premium or discount for that specific role. Remember that OEWS wages capture base pay only, health benefits, retirement contributions, bonuses, overtime, and equity compensation can add 20-40% to real total compensation, and that gap often skews larger in high-cost metros where employers load non-wage benefits to remain competitive.