Career Atlas USA

Registered Nurses Salary in Wilmington, NC

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the median annual wage for Registered Nurses in Wilmington, NC is $80,970. BLS estimates approximately 5,040 people work in this occupation in Wilmington, NC. Wilmington, NC is 17.0% below the national median ($97,550).

Median salary
$80,970
Average salary
$87,900
Median hourly
$38.93
Employment
5,040

Salary Distribution

Not everyone earns the median. Percentile wages show the range of pay within this occupation.

PercentileAnnual wageHourly wage
10th percentile$67,510$32.46
25th percentile$79,540$38.24
Median (50th)$80,970$38.93
75th percentile$103,250$49.64
90th percentile$103,250$49.64

Data Reliability

BLS OEWS is a survey, not a full census — every estimate carries a margin of error. The relative standard error (RSE) below is BLS’s own measure of how much an estimate could vary; lower is more precise.

Wage estimate
RSE 1.1% — Very reliable
Employment estimate
RSE 2.8% — Very reliable

Where Does Your Salary Fall?

Enter an annual salary to see roughly where it falls among reported wages for this occupation, based on the percentile points above.

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Concentration

Jobs per 1,000
26.363
Location quotient
1.21

Cost-of-Living Adjusted Salary

Wilmington, NC’s regional price level is below the national average (index 96.422, where 100 = U.S. average). Adjusted for that, the median salary has the purchasing power of $83,975 at the national price level.

This is a Career Atlas USA calculation based on BLS wage data and BEA Regional Price Parities. It is not a separate BLS wage estimate. Wage data: May 2025. Cost-of-living data: 2024.

Sources

Wage data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)May 2025 (release 25).

Figures shown as “Not available” reflect wages the source does not publish (e.g. suppressed for reliability), not zero.

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