SalaryExplorer

SOC 17-2199 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Engineers, All Other — Wilmington

Wilmington, NC · 10 metro areas compared

$115,210 /year
$55.39per hour
−6.3%vs US median

The median wage here is $115,210 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $122,930.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $122,93010TH$61,29025TH$97,370MEDIAN$115,21075TH$142,62090TH$161,860

How pay has moved

$162,133$80,8182022202320242025$115,210
$94,370 in 2022 to $115,210 in 2025, +22.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.1%
Openings per year
9,300
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Wilmington, NC.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage here is $115,210 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $122,930. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $97,370 and $142,620. The lowest tenth earn under $61,290, while the highest tenth earn more than $161,860.

Within the state, Greenville records the highest median at $140,970. Of the 413 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 33rd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Wilmington, NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$61,290−50.1%
25th$97,370−20.8%
Median (50th)$115,210−6.3%
75th$142,620+16.0%
90th$161,860+31.7%
Mean$116,070−5.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Median annual wage for Engineers, All Other, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Greenville$140,97040
2Durham$127,710580
3Fayetteville$125,98080
4Hickory$125,16060
5Charlotte$118,2301,030
6Greensboro$118,160280
7Jacksonville$115,21050
8Asheville$105,840—
9Raleigh$104,910970
10Rocky Mount$100,91060

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Wilmington run 3.6% below the national average, so the median of $115,210 goes as far as $119,512 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 2.8% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$115,210as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$119,512US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $115,210 a year, 6.3% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $61,290 to $161,860 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Greenville, at $140,970.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Engineers, All Other in Wilmington, NC?

The median annual wage is $115,210, or $55.39 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $122,930, so pay in Wilmington, NC is 6.3% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Wilmington, NC earns more than $161,860 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $61,290 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Greenville, at $140,970 per year.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.