(WGHP) — The average North Carolinian is making more money than they were two years ago in all but one county.

Each year, the North Carolina Department of Commerce releases the state’s average wages for each county. North Carolina’s 2023 county average wages were calculated using the average private-sector wages from the third quarter of 2021 through the second quarter of 2022. We compared those numbers to the same total for 2021 to see how wages in the state have changed.

The statewide average rose from $54,005 a year in 2021 to $62,248 a year in 2023, an increase of $8,243. Calculated for a 40-hour work week, those wages moved from about $25.89 an hour to about $29.84 an hour.

The sole county to see the average wage drop was Pamlico County, where it fell $94 from $30,448 to $30,354 ($14.60 an hour to $14.55 an hour), giving it the lowest average wage in the state.

In 2021, the county with the lowest average wage was Swain County with $29,024 ($13.92 an hour). However, in two years since, that wage has increased by $5,055 up to $34,079 ($16.34 an hour).

The highest average wage in the state was held by Durham County in both 2021 and 2023. The Durham County average rose by $10,794 from $75,892 ($36.39 an hour) to $86,686 ($41.56 an hour).

Highest Average Wage 2023

  1. Durham County – $86,686 ($41.56/hr)
  2. Mecklenburg County – $80,349 ($38.52/hr)
  3. Wake County – $72,743 ($34.88/hr)
  4. Iredell County – $64,433 ($30.89/hr)
  5. Orange County – $62,771 ($30.10/hr)
  6. Forsyth County – $62,604 ($30.01/hr)
  7. Guilford County – $57,190 ($27.42/hr)
  8. New Hanover County – $56,364 ($27.02/hr)
  9. Union County – $53,593 ($25.70/hr)
  10. Catawba County – $52,172 ($25.01/hr)

Lowest Average Wage 2023

  1. Pamlico County – $30,354 ($14.55/hr)
  2. Warren County – $32,940 ($15.79/hr)
  3. Swain County – $34,079 ($16.34/hr)
  4. Martin County – $34,864 ($16.72/hr)
  5. Tyrrell – $35,006 ($16.78/hr)
  6. Hyde County – $35,236 ($16.89/hr)
  7. Stokes County – $35,514 ($17.03/hr)
  8. Greene County – $36,777 ($17.63/hr)
  9. Onslow County – $37,603 ($18.03/hr)
  10. Cherokee County – $37,967 ($18.20/hr)

Top North Carolina Wages for 2023

Comparing 2021 Wages to 2023 Wages

Learn more about North Carolina's average wages on the North Carolina Department of Commerce website.