PublicPay

Federal employee salaries in North Carolina

Full-time federal civilian employees with a published duty station in North Carolina earned a median of $101,294 in September 2026, 8% below the all-federal median of $109,641. That ranks #23 of 51 (50 states and DC) by median pay.

Median pay
$101,294
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$70,454–$132,915
25th–75th percentile
Employees
27,042
with published duty station
Rank
#23
of 51 by median
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
North Carolina
All federal (full-time)

OPM withheld the duty-station location for 943,611 federal employees nationwide, including the entire Department of Defense civilian workforce and large parts of the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice. Those employees are not counted in any state, so state totals understate the federal presence, especially in states with large military installations.

Pay by occupation in North Carolina

The 30 largest occupations in North Carolina with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay (112 qualify in total).

Federal pay by occupation in North Carolina
Occupation Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Nurse Series 0610 3,729 $125,884 $113,992–$140,894
Medical Support Assistance Series 0679 1,629 $58,215 $56,175–$63,168
Medical Officer Series 0602 1,143 $302,000 $274,716–$350,482
Veterans Claims Examining Series 0996 779 $89,508 $74,765–$98,459
Information Technology Management Series 2210 770 $133,377 $111,901–$148,890
Social Work Series 0185 761 $110,285 $95,897–$121,706
Miscellaneous Administration and Program Series 0301 749 $93,468 $77,983–$118,396
Social Insurance Administration Series 0105 686 $95,475 $84,638–$105,932
Management and Program Analysis Series 0343 609 $120,629 $98,459–$144,493
Miscellaneous Clerk and Assistant Series 0303 583 $57,963 $54,407–$63,232
Practical Nurse Series 0620 568 $73,928 $69,703–$78,444
Nursing Assistant Series 0621 566 $54,520 $51,313–$58,755
General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series 0401 528 $122,262 $102,816–$144,493
Human Resources Management Series 0201 492 $112,164 $96,584–$126,946
Pharmacist Series 0660 454 $175,123 $161,956–$182,791
General Health Science Series 0601 453 $109,475 $88,383–$141,590
Psychology Series 0180 377 $154,484 $133,143–$171,691
Health Aid and Technician Series 0640 331 $61,903 $56,744–$67,062
Air Traffic Control Series 2152 323 $143,269 $105,712–$182,141
Physician Assistant Series 0603 288 $180,766 $165,428–$189,492
General Physical Science Series 1301 272 $133,377 $114,852–$161,992
Social Science Series 0101 260 $95,475 $85,783–$111,656
General Attorney Series 0905 259 $150,014 $122,074–$171,411
Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist Series 0647 257 $101,289 $93,082–$111,774
Custodial Working Series 3566 256 $41,427 $39,611–$44,599
Consumer Safety Inspection Series 1862 255 $73,049 $65,838–$78,186
Patent Examining Series 1224 242 $181,766 $136,236–$192,154
Contracting Series 1102 238 $112,100 $93,866–$129,672
Pharmacy Technician Series 0661 236 $68,672 $64,179–$74,974
Financial Clerical and Assistance Series 0503 219 $54,490 $50,494–$58,566

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Pay by agency in North Carolina

Federal pay by agency in North Carolina
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 16,644 $95,475 $64,189–$128,760
Department of Agriculture 1,794 $83,794 $67,896–$116,362
Department of Homeland Security 1,188 $96,584 $85,317–$114,852
Social Security Administration 1,109 $96,707 $80,583–$115,280
Department of Health and Human Services 1,099 $133,377 $109,048–$157,614
Environmental Protection Agency 1,028 $132,360 $114,852–$153,235
Department of Justice 811 $93,583 $79,496–$111,400
Department of Commerce 798 $147,976 $114,874–$181,766
Department of the Interior 675 $76,948 $54,524–$102,816
Department of Transportation 649 $131,333 $104,166–$164,374
Department of the Treasury 496 $134,014 $95,752–$163,320
General Services Administration 125 $127,725 $108,230–$157,614
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 109 $170,804 $110,440–$220,348
Department of Labor 89 $118,396 $99,700–$137,082
Small Business Administration 78 $81,434 $76,343–$97,740
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 70 $107,782 $87,770–$146,180
Department of Housing and Urban Development 52 $121,446 $112,530–$151,510

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.4% from $98,962 in September 2025 to $101,294 in September 2026. Headcount went from 28,735 to 27,042 (−5.9%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

States with similar median federal pay

All states ranked →