Accountants & Auditors salary in Wilmington, NC
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Wilmington, NC: $74,090/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $47,840 – $117,970 · about 1,030 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($74,290) by −$200 (+0%).
What it's really worth in Wilmington
With Wilmington's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $74,090 has the buying power of about $77,628 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $68,845 · median home $446,210 · median rent $1,708/mo.
How Wilmington ranks for this job
On raw pay, Wilmington, NC is 97th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Wilmington's cost of living is applied, it ranks 88th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Wilmington sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Wilmington
A median home in Wilmington, NC costs $446,210 — about 6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,708/mo works out at 28% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Wilmington.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Wilmington | Rent vs Wilmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +54% | 2.1× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +40% | 1.9× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +40% | 2.1× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +31% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Wilmington | Rent vs Wilmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $86,900 | +17% | 1× |
| Durham, NC | $83,280 | +12% | 1× |
| Raleigh, NC | $80,270 | +8% | 1× |
| Greensboro, NC | $77,580 | +5% | 0.8× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires accountants & auditors around Wilmington
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Live Oak Bank · Finance
Other jobs in Wilmington
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.