The Wilmington, NC all-occupations median was 10.2% below the U.S. all-occupations median in the same release. Retail Salespersons had the largest published employment estimate among the 30 occupation rows shown on this hub, at 6,310.
Among those high-employment rows, Cooks, Fast Food had the highest published location quotient at 4.92. A location quotient above 1.00 means a larger share of local employment than the national share; it does not measure job quality or future demand.
Occupation detail
Largest published occupations in Wilmington, NC
Sorted by published employment. Open a row for its local distribution, national comparison, and jobs.
Largest published occupation estimates by employment
Six high-employment rows from the bounded area summary. The table below keeps each full title and published field.
Retail Salespersons: 6,310 jobs. Fast Food and Counter...: 5,100 jobs. Registered Nurses: 5,040 jobs. Waiters and Waitresses: 4,920 jobs. Cashiers: 4,860 jobs. Cooks, Fast Food: 3,880 jobs.
BEA's 2024 all-items price index for Wilmington, NC was 96.4, or 3.6% below the national price level. Its housing index was 93.2.
National-price-dollar proxy
$47,500
WageScope divides the published all occupations median by the BEA all-items index. This is a price-level comparison, not take-home pay, a personal budget, or a quality-of-life score.
Wage period: BLS May 2025. Price period: BEA 2024. The releases describe different periods and are shown separately.
Price level in Wilmington, NC; U.S. = 100
U.S. baseline: 100.0. All items: 96.4. Housing: 93.2.
Read the all-jobs wage, role mix, local job shares, price-level context, and survey limits as separate facts. Every value stays tied to BLS area 48900.
Questions, answered
Wage data for Wilmington, NC: common questions
What is the all-occupations median wage in Wilmington, NC?
The May 2025 BLS OEWS release published an all-occupations median of $45,800 per year in Wilmington, NC. It combines covered wage and salary jobs and is not a median for every individual occupation.
How many wage and salary jobs does BLS estimate in Wilmington, NC?
BLS published an all-occupations employment estimate of 191,280 jobs for Wilmington, NC. It is a survey estimate, not a current opening count.
What is the largest detailed occupation shown for Wilmington, NC?
Retail Salespersons is the largest detailed occupation in the bounded table on this page, with 6,310 estimated jobs and a published median of $30,790 per year.
Does the Wilmington, NC wage data adjust for local prices?
From market data to your evidence
Tailor for a real Retail Salespersons job, not a generic wage number.
Pick an eligible listing, then MeritLog can help you prepare from experience you have confirmed. WageScope never turns a BLS estimate into a qualification or résumé claim.
What the all-jobs median says about Wilmington, NC
The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the all-occupations median in Wilmington, NC at $45,800 per year. This is the middle wage across covered wage and salary jobs in the area. It is not the median for each job title. It is not one worker's pay. Use an occupation page when you need a role-level answer.
BLS lists 191,280 covered jobs in Wilmington, NC. The all-occupations mean is $58,480 per year. Mean means add the wage values and split the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. The median and mean can differ because the local wage mix is not even.
Wilmington, NC's $45,800 all-occupations median is 10.2% below the U.S. all-occupations median of $50,980 on the same published median. This is a wage check on the same source period. It does not add local price levels, taxes, hours, benefits, or household needs.
Wilmington, NC ranks 285 of 393 among metro areas with a published annual all-occupations median. WageScope keeps the map type the same. It does not place a state, metro, and nonmetro row in one rank. The rank uses the May 2025 BLS median only.
A rank is a place in a sorted list. It is not a score. It does not say a place is good or bad. It does not show the size of the job base. Wilmington, NC has 191,280 covered jobs, while another row near it can have a very different count.
The nearby rank rows give context without turning the list into a league table. Small gaps can move a place by several spots. A later BLS release can also change the order. Read the wage gap and the source date beside the rank. Do not use rank alone to make a move.
282. Wildwood-The Villages, FL has an all-occupations median of $45,830 per year and 41,300 covered jobs. Its wage gap from Wilmington, NC is $30.
283. Farmington, NM has an all-occupations median of $45,820 per year and 47,670 covered jobs. Its wage gap from Wilmington, NC is $20.
284. Canton-Massillon, OH has an all-occupations median of $45,810 per year and 163,080 covered jobs. Its wage gap from Wilmington, NC is $10.
286. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR has an all-occupations median of $45,790 per year and 358,210 covered jobs. Its wage gap from Wilmington, NC is $10.
287. Springfield, MO has an all-occupations median of $45,780 per year and 223,030 covered jobs. Its wage gap from Wilmington, NC is $20.
288. Lake Charles, LA has an all-occupations median of $45,700 per year and 101,690 covered jobs. Its wage gap from Wilmington, NC is $100.
The largest detailed occupations shown for Wilmington, NC
The role list is sorted by the BLS employment estimate. It shows detailed occupations from the bounded source table for Wilmington, NC. The first row, Retail Salespersons, has 6,310 estimated jobs. Its median is $30,790 per year.
Large roles shape the all-occupations wage mix, but they do not set it by themselves. A role with many jobs and a lower wage can pull the middle one way. A smaller role with a higher wage can move the mean. The all-occupations row is based on the whole covered job mix, not just the occupations shown in this bounded list.
Employment here means wage and salary jobs in the BLS survey scope. It does not mean people looking for work. It does not mean openings. It does not show how fast a role is changing. Use the current job cards only to inspect dated employer-title matches. Keep that view apart from this May 2025 job count.
1. Retail Salespersons has 6,310 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $30,790 per year. Its location quotient is 1.32.
2. Fast Food and Counter Workers has 5,100 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $27,460 per year. Its location quotient is 1.08.
3. Registered Nurses has 5,040 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $80,970 per year. Its location quotient is 1.21.
Role pay range
How published medians differ inside Wilmington, NC
The detailed roles shown for Wilmington, NC do not share one pay level. General and Operations Managers has the highest published median in this bounded role set, at $90,270 per year. That does not make it the highest-paid role in every job or in every part of the area.
The list keeps each official SOC title tied to its own wage row. It does not blend fields, levels, or job posts. A role median can be above the $45,800 all-occupations median even when the role has few jobs. A large role can sit below that mark. Pay and job count answer different questions.
Use a role's own WageScope page before you compare places. That page shows the national spread, the same SOC code across areas, and the source limits. The area list is a starting map. It is not enough to set a pay target for one person or one listing.
1. General and Operations Managers has a published median of $90,270 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 2,690 jobs. Its local share is 0.62 times the national share.
2. Registered Nurses has a published median of $80,970 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 5,040 jobs. Its local share is 1.21 times the national share.
3. Accountants and Auditors has a published median of $77,920 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,520 jobs. Its local share is 0.85 times the national share.
Local share
Roles with a larger local share in Wilmington, NC
Location quotient compares a role's share of jobs in Wilmington, NC with that role's share across the nation. A value of 1 means the shares match. A value above 1 means the role takes a larger share of local jobs. A value below 1 means the share is smaller. The value does not show growth or open jobs.
Cooks, Fast Food has the highest published location quotient in this bounded set, at 4.92. The same row has 3,880 jobs and a median of $27,500 per year. Read all three fields together.
A high share can appear in a small job base. A large job count can appear with a share near 1. A high median can appear in either case. The three measures are not a single score. They help you ask three clear questions: how many jobs, how common the role is in the local mix, and what wage BLS published.
1. Cooks, Fast Food has a location quotient of 4.92 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 3,880 jobs and a median of $27,500 per year.
2. Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants has a location quotient of 2.28 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 2,700 jobs and a median of $40,040 per year.
3. Cooks, Restaurant has a location quotient of 1.98 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 3,440 jobs and a median of $34,940 per year.
Separate price view
What the BEA price level adds for Wilmington, NC
BEA's 2024 all-items price index for Wilmington, NC is 96.4. The U.S. level is 100. The local all-items level is 3.6% below that mark. This is a broad price comparison. It is not a personal budget.
The housing index is 93.2. The goods index is 96.6. Utilities are 87.9. Other services are 98.2. These parts can move in different ways. The all-items number joins them with BEA's method; WageScope does not pick its own weights.
The BLS wage period is May 2025. The BEA price period is 2024. WageScope shows both dates because the clocks differ. It can divide a wage by the all-items index for a clear national-price-dollar proxy. It does not call that result take-home pay, spending power for one home, or a place score.
The all-occupations employment RSE for Wilmington, NC is 0%. The mean-wage RSE is 0.5%. RSE means relative standard error. It is a survey precision flag. A smaller value often means less sampling uncertainty. It is not an error bar for one person's wage.
The employment RSE belongs to the 191,280 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE belongs to the all-occupations mean. WageScope does not attach either field to a detailed role, the median, or a percentile. Each role row has its own published care marks when BLS supplies them.
Some BLS values are blank or top coded. Blank does not mean zero. A top code means the value is at least the shown bound. WageScope keeps those states in the role pages and tables. It does not fill a missing value from a peer role, past year, or nearby place.
Use Wilmington, NC as a map, then choose one occupation
Start with the role that matches the work you mean. Official titles can sound broad. Open the role page and check its SOC code. Then compare the Wilmington, NC row with the U.S. row on the same annual or hourly metric. Read the job count and location quotient beside the wage. Add the BEA price level only when the exact row is present.
Next, look at the wage spread. The median shows the middle. The 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles show more of the range. A posted job range can be compared with those marks as context, but it stays employer evidence. It never becomes part of the BLS estimate.
If the role-place row is missing, use the national role page or choose another official area. Do not guess. A clean missing state is more useful than a made-up number. It tells you what the source can and cannot answer.
Move from Wilmington, NC wage data to one checked job
The area page does not treat every local job as the same. Choose an occupation first. WageScope can then use a strict employer-title match for that role. A place filter is used only when the BLS area has an exact approved match in the public place list. If that match is not safe, the page says so.
Each shown job keeps the employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards can change as the public catalog changes. They do not count toward this page's stable content gate. They do not change Wilmington, NC's $45,800 all-occupations median. They do not prove that the employer uses the BLS title.
Open a listing before you tailor. Use facts from your own work that you can support. A wage value is not a skill, result, or duty. MeritLog can help shape confirmed work for the listing you chose. The public area page does not save the role, listing, place, or résumé on load.
The page does not say what one person in Wilmington, NC earns. It does not promise a wage, job, move, or result. It does not call the all-occupations median a role wage. It does not turn rank 285 of 393 into a place score. It does not say why wages differ.
The BLS job count leaves out people who work for themselves and other work outside the survey scope. The current job cards are a separate set of public listings. Neither source shows all work. Neither source tells you the chance of getting hired. A missing value stays missing.
Use the page for a narrow task. See the May 2025 local wage picture. Choose one official occupation. Compare the same field across like places. Add the separate 2024 price level when it exists. Read a current employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from work facts you have confirmed.
No. BLS wage estimates are nominal. Where an exact BEA Regional Price Parity row exists, WageScope shows that price-level context separately and labels its source period.
Are MeritLog job listings part of the government wage estimate?
No. Eligible live listings remain separate from BLS statistics. Their locations and posted pay do not change the official area or occupation rows.
4. Waiters and Waitresses has 4,920 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $30,610 per year. Its location quotient is 1.76.
5. Cashiers has 4,860 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $28,520 per year. Its location quotient is 1.28.
6. Cooks, Fast Food has 3,880 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $27,500 per year. Its location quotient is 4.92.
7. Cooks, Restaurant has 3,440 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $34,940 per year. Its location quotient is 1.98.
8. Stockers and Order Fillers has 3,430 estimated jobs in Wilmington, NC. Its published median is $35,300 per year. Its location quotient is 0.98.
4. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers has a published median of $70,820 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,710 jobs. Its local share is 1.71 times the national share.
5. Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel has a published median of $64,520 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,730 jobs. Its local share is 1.12 times the national share.
6. Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products has a published median of $63,510 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,670 jobs. Its local share is 1.1 times the national share.
7. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers has a published median of $48,850 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,840 jobs. Its local share is 0.72 times the national share.
8. First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers has a published median of $48,270 per year in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,950 jobs. Its local share is 1.41 times the national share.
4. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers has a location quotient of 1.87 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 2,190 jobs and a median of $36,670 per year.
5. Waiters and Waitresses has a location quotient of 1.76 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 4,920 jobs and a median of $30,610 per year.
6. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers has a location quotient of 1.71 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,710 jobs and a median of $70,820 per year.
7. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has a location quotient of 1.47 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 2,210 jobs and a median of $44,360 per year.
8. Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners has a location quotient of 1.44 in Wilmington, NC. BLS lists 1,520 jobs and a median of $30,300 per year.
Local job matching is not ready for Wilmington, NC.
We did not fill this page with jobs from other places. Search all Retail Salespersons jobs, then check each listing's location before you tailor your resume.
