Median pay · North Carolina
$52,890A year, or $25 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $36,600 | $18 |
| 25th percentile | $41,000 | $20 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $52,890 | $25 |
| 75th percentile | $74,900 | $36 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $98,560 | $47 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $61,350 | $29 |
Wage survey · BLS May 2025
How we got this
- Median wage in North CarolinaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of the people in this job were paid more than this, half less.$52,890
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$25.43
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,590 a month at an effective rate of 18.6%.$43,076 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in North Carolina sit at 94.3 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$56,071
- Against the national medianThe national median is $51,220.3.3% above
- Jobs countedA concentration of 1.51 against the nation's 1.00.1,710
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
What lands in the bank
Tax year 2026 · InteractiveEstimated on the median salary of $52,890 in North Carolina, for a single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026. Explore other wage levels and filing statuses below.
Run the numbers on your own pay
Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.
What $52,890 is worth in North Carolina
Prices in North Carolina sit at 94.3 against a national average of 100, so $52,890 earned here buys what $56,071 buys at national average prices.
- Rents. 81.4 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
- Against local households. The median household in North Carolina takes in $72,388, so this occupation's median is 0.73 times that, on one income.
- How common the job is here. 51% more concentrated in North Carolina than in the country as a whole.
Reading the numbers
What stands out for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina
Rents in North Carolina index at 81.4 (U.S. = 100) while prices overall index at 94.3, a gap of -13 pts. For a renter, housing moves the local cost of living more than anything else.
The gap between the ends is wide: the 90th percentile ($98,560) is 2.7 times the 10th ($36,600). The survey does not say who sits where in that range. It records no experience, shift or employer.
The average here is $61,350, well above the median of $52,890. A smaller group of high earners lifts the average, so the median is the better guide to what most private detectives and investigators in North Carolina are paid.
The median for this job is 0.7 times the median household income in North Carolina ($72,388). Many households have two earners, so one paycheck at this level falls short of what a typical local household brings in.
Common questions
Private Detectives and Investigators pay in North Carolina, answered
How much do private detectives and investigators make in North Carolina?
The median wage for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina is $52,890 a year, or $25.43 an hour.
Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.
What is the average Private Detectives and Investigators salary in North Carolina?
BLS’s mean (average) wage for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina is $61,350 a year. The median is $52,890.
The mean sits higher when a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up. For a typical paycheck, the median is the better middle.
What is the hourly pay for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina?
The median hourly wage is $25.43. At a full-time year that lines up with about $52,890 a year.
BLS May 2025; hourly and annual figures come from the same survey.
What is the starting salary for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina?
BLS does not publish starting pay. The closest figure it does publish is the low end of the range: in North Carolina, the lowest-paid 10% of private detectives and investigators earn under $36,600 a year and a quarter earn under $41,000 ($17.60 and $19.71 an hour).
New hires often start somewhere in that band, but the May 2025 survey does not record experience, so read it as a floor to compare an offer against rather than a typical first salary.
What is the salary range for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina?
The overall salary range for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina spans from $36,600 for the bottom 10% to $98,560 for top earners.
The middle 50% earn between $41,000 and $74,900 a year, with the overall median at $52,890.
What is the take-home pay for private detectives and investigators in North Carolina?
On the median wage of $52,890, a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction keeps an estimated $43,076 a year, or roughly $3,590 a month.
That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 18.6%.
North Carolina takes $1,602 of it in state income tax.
How much does private detectives and investigators make a month in North Carolina?
On the median annual salary of $52,890, estimated take-home pay is roughly $3,590 a month after federal, state, and FICA taxes.
For workers paid on a standard biweekly schedule (26 pay periods per year), each paycheck is approximately $1,657 net.
Do private detectives and investigators earn more in North Carolina than in the rest of the country?
Yes. The median in North Carolina is 3.3% above the national median of $51,220.
Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in North Carolina sit at 94.3 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.
Is $52,890 a good salary in North Carolina?
It is 0.73 times the median household income of $72,388. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.
Prices in North Carolina run at 94.3 against a national average of 100, with rents at 81.4, so $52,890 here buys about what $56,071 buys at national average prices.
What do the highest-paid private detectives and investigators earn in North Carolina?
The top tenth earn $98,560 a year or more. The 10th-percentile wage is $36,600.
Experience, specialty, employer and the part of North Carolina someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.
How many private detectives and investigators are there in North Carolina?
The survey counted 1,710 of these jobs in North Carolina for May 2025.
That makes the occupation 51% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.