Occupational profile · 2025
North Carolina
North Carolina employs 4,941,820 people. The work it does most unusually is textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders, at 6.6× the national concentration — 2,730 jobs paying a median of $36,700.
What North Carolina is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders2,730 jobs · median $36,7006.6×
- 2Upholsterers4,050 jobs · median $50,6006.3×
- 3Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders4,190 jobs · median $36,5806.0×
- 4Tire Builders3,750 jobs · median $63,9505.7×
- 5Cutters and Trimmers, Hand1,060 jobs · median $47,9105.5×
- 6Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers1,980 jobs · median $40,0904.8×
- 7Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders1,590 jobs · median $34,8304.3×
- 8Cooks, Fast Food81,980 jobs · median $27,1904.0×
- 9Pipelayers3,830 jobs · median $47,2203.6×
- 10Textile, Apparel, and Furnishings Workers, All Other1,530 jobs · median $37,2803.5×
- 11Helpers--Electricians6,770 jobs · median $39,8803.4×
- 12Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors3,720 jobs · median $51,8103.1×
What North Carolina is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 536,920 | 0.95× | $45,450 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 483,760 | 1.13× | $37,380 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 452,410 | 1.04× | $29,820 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 450,010 | 1.04× | $39,040 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 356,580 | 1.06× | $80,230 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 327,500 | 1.05× | $81,270 | |
| Production Occupations | 318,440 | 1.17× | $44,120 | |
| Management Occupations | 303,040 | 0.86× | $124,390 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 277,370 | 0.96× | $49,410 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 202,630 | 1.05× | $56,550 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 196,760 | 0.96× | $49,390 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 195,720 | 1.17× | $107,600 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 188,740 | 0.75× | $37,800 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 137,290 | 0.95× | $36,070 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 115,740 | 0.96× | $46,300 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 94,100 | 0.91× | $33,670 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 79,670 | 0.96× | $91,360 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 70,470 | 0.83× | $54,530 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 61,150 | 0.94× | $55,650 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 54,090 | 1.16× | $78,850 | |
| Legal Occupations | 32,500 | 0.78× | $77,950 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 6,940 | 0.50× | $37,770 |
Elsewhere on North Carolina
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗