Accountant salary in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area

Pay in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area against North Carolina and the US

The middle half of accountants in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area earns $58,660–$101,510. The top tenth earns $121,370 or more, 2.5 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.6 times. The mean ($81,450) is 9% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $42,850 wide, between the figure for North Carolina ($42,970) and the US figure ($42,790).

What to budget for an accountant here

Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $26,740 over the median, the 25th only $16,110 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $34,503 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.

For scale, the US median of $83,680 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area, and the North Carolina statewide median of $82,050 falls there too.

What a hire really costs in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area

Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², which adds about $21,707 to the $74,770 median and brings it to $96,477 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.

We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for accountants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee³; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool⁴.

Other roles in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area

Of the 17 roles we track in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area, this one ranks #2 by median pay, after project coordinators ($91,200); marketing specialists come next at $63,800.

Measured against the US median, accountants rank #5 of the 17 roles we track in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area (-10.6%), between data entry specialists (-8.4%) and project coordinators (-10.9%). The typical role here is at -15.6%, so, measured against the US, accountants cost more in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area than the area's general pay level would suggest. Accountants hold 8.1% of the jobs in these 17 roles in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area, 9.4% across North Carolina and 9.1% nationally. That is close to the national mix.

Other areas in North Carolina

Across the 18 areas of North Carolina with data for this job, the median runs from $73,740 in Jacksonville to $92,910 in Charlotte-Concord, a gap of $19,170 a year. All 6 areas in North Carolina with more accountants than the Western North Carolina nonmetro area also pay more, among them Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC ($92,910) and Raleigh-Cary, NC ($81,950).

the Western North Carolina nonmetro area against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, the Western North Carolina nonmetro area is #115 of 521 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, with pay near the middle of the US range. Outside North Carolina, Punta Gorda and Blacksburg-Christiansburg pay just above the Western North Carolina nonmetro area and Grand Forks and Rome just below. All four are within $130 a year of the median in the Western North Carolina nonmetro area. Of the three markets with about as many accountants, all three pay more.

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How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.