Home / Wages / Asheville Asheville salaries The median worker in the Asheville, NC metro area earned $44,990 a year in 2024, about $21.63 an hour. That ranks #263 of the 391 metro areas published here, 9.1% below the national median.
North Carolina
Median pay $44,990 $21.63 per hour
Vs national -9.1% U.S. $49,500
Workers 187,430 wage and salary
Metro rank #263 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Asheville pays 4.2% less than North Carolina as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Cooks, Fast Food 3.86× 3,130 $27,340 Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 2.52× 800 $41,870 Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks 2.48× 790 $33,040 Animal Caretakers 2.37× 800 $28,870 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 2.33× 2,350 $38,900 Firefighters 2.27× 920 $37,050 Machinists 1.92× 700 $47,130 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1.83× 1,900 $29,920 Bakers 1.76× 500 $35,440 Cooks, Restaurant 1.65× 2,920 $36,200 Bartenders 1.61× 1,460 $35,130 Production Workers, All Other 1.61× 540 $38,870
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Asheville Occupation Median Hourly Employed General Internal Medicine Physicians $221,170 $106.33 300 Dentists, General $187,560 $90.17 210 Computer and Information Systems Managers $146,680 $70.52 340 Pharmacists $135,670 $65.22 490 Financial Managers $131,860 $63.39 440 Physician Assistants $129,600 $62.31 460 Nurse Practitioners $119,700 $57.55 440 Software Developers $118,850 $57.14 920 Personal Financial Advisors $117,730 $56.60 360 Lawyers $117,420 $56.45 600 Industrial Production Managers $115,890 $55.71 340 Sales Managers $107,500 $51.68 540 Managers, All Other $105,030 $50.50 610 Computer Occupations, All Other $103,720 $49.87 350 Medical and Health Services Managers $103,200 $49.61 820 Physical Therapists $98,810 $47.50 340 Mechanical Engineers $98,350 $47.29 240 Industrial Engineers $97,670 $46.96 480 Construction Managers $97,620 $46.93 650 Civil Engineers $97,570 $46.91 370 Electrical Engineers $96,210 $46.25 250 Dental Hygienists $95,680 $46.00 350 Computer Systems Analysts $91,910 $44.19 410 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $88,500 $42.55 200 General and Operations Managers $88,290 $42.45 3,090 Occupational Therapists $87,370 $42.01 240 Project Management Specialists $87,290 $41.97 710 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $82,740 $39.78 310 Administrative Services Managers $82,730 $39.77 230 Registered Nurses $80,720 $38.81 4,760 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $79,620 n/a 400 Speech-Language Pathologists $79,590 $38.27 280 Social and Community Service Managers $77,790 $37.40 200 Accountants and Auditors $75,290 $36.20 1,500 Loan Officers $75,280 $36.19 220 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $74,420 $35.78 260 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $68,840 $33.10 810 Cost Estimators $68,540 $32.95 240 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $68,240 $32.81 860 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $68,180 $32.78 360 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $67,940 $32.67 1,090 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $67,160 $32.29 1,180 Compliance Officers $66,950 $32.19 210 Human Resources Specialists $66,370 $31.91 960 Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary $63,780 $30.67 340 Healthcare Social Workers $63,160 $30.37 300 Industrial Machinery Mechanics $63,130 $30.35 610 Buyers and Purchasing Agents $62,840 $30.21 590 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators $62,660 $30.13 360 Food Service Managers $62,260 $29.93 480 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $62,220 $29.92 800 Insurance Sales Agents $62,160 $29.89 480 Chefs and Head Cooks $62,040 $29.83 230 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $61,840 $29.73 510 Construction and Building Inspectors $61,520 $29.58 240 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $61,320 $29.48 920 Paramedics $61,070 $29.36 260 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants $60,350 $29.02 260 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $60,280 $28.98 1,680 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $59,480 $28.60 1,560
Where most people work Largest occupations in Asheville by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Retail Salespersons 5,690 $30,880 $14.85 Cashiers 4,890 $28,770 $13.83 Registered Nurses 4,760 $80,720 $38.81 Fast Food and Counter Workers 4,410 $29,240 $14.06 Waiters and Waitresses 4,380 $29,820 $14.34 Stockers and Order Fillers 4,110 $36,800 $17.69 Cooks, Fast Food 3,130 $27,340 $13.14 General and Operations Managers 3,090 $88,290 $42.45 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 2,930 $37,620 $18.09 Cooks, Restaurant 2,920 $36,200 $17.40 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 2,590 $33,150 $15.94 Office Clerks, General 2,590 $41,470 $19.94 Nursing Assistants 2,530 $38,740 $18.63 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 2,380 $34,230 $16.46 Customer Service Representatives 2,380 $37,050 $17.81 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 2,350 $38,900 $18.70 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 2,200 $50,180 $24.13 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 2,090 $40,190 $19.32 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 2,040 $45,390 $21.82 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 1,990 $45,850 $22.04
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other North Carolina metro areas Durham-Chapel Hill 342,530 workers $59,740 Raleigh-Cary 723,590 workers $49,560 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia 1,340,800 workers $48,880 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 754,860 workers $48,430 Winston-Salem 273,340 workers $45,050 Greenville 81,410 workers $44,980 Asheville pay: common questions What is the average salary in Asheville? The median across all occupations is $44,990 , or $21.63 an hour, covering 187,430 wage and salary workers. The mean is $57,410, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Asheville pay more than the rest of North Carolina? No. The metro median of $44,990 is 4.2% below the North Carolina median of $46,950. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Asheville? General Internal Medicine Physicians ($221,170), Dentists, General ($187,560), Computer and Information Systems Managers ($146,680). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Asheville unusually full of? Cooks, Fast Food, at 3.86× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.