What's Here? - Table of Contents
North Carolina nurse practitioners average an annual income of $130,870 (Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2025). While this is below the national average of $137,300 (Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2025), it doesn’t mean that you are destined for below-average. The top 10% of nurse practitioners in NC are making around $164,320 per year. So how do you bridge the gap? Let’s find out.
| Metro Area | # Employed | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Asheville, NC | 520 | $127,820 |
| Burlington, NC | 80 | $137,850 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1,970 | $133,530 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 1,450 | $134,390 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 210 | $125,990 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 90 | $120,800 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 820 | $136,110 |
| Greenville, NC | 280 | $121,800 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 300 | $125,590 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 70 | $122,810 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1,510 | $133,570 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 40 | $118,600 |
| Wilmington, NC | 390 | $125,040 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 750 | $133,740 | Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2025 |
| Metro Area | # Employed | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 370 | $118,760 |
| Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 260 | $130,540 |
| Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | 420 | $123,210 | Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2025 |
The Old North State of North Carolina may be facing an impending shortage of nurses over the next decade. Considering that all NPs must first become registered nurses, this lack alludes to a nurse practitioner shortage as well. How can you use this to increase your salary? Supply and demand tells the story.
The North Carolina Nursecast helps paint the picture of supply and demand when it comes to the nursing profession. Nursecast is a research study partnership between the NC Board of Nursing and the University of NC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center For Health Services Research, that shows where and how nurses are needed inside North Carolina.
You can use the Nursecast to find out which areas are projected to experience a shortage. Search criteria can break down shortages by:
Right now, the nursecast is showing major RN shortages in hospitals, predicting that an additional 10,000 RNs will be needed by 2033 to keep up with hospital demand. Nearly all regional areas are projected to have higher demand than the supply of RNs, especially in metropolitan areas.
Data inside the nursecast can be compiled into custom reports. The regional areas can be selected as state-wide, Medicaid, or metro/non-metro while the facility categories include:
Analyzing the data that the Nursecast tool provides can help you increase your salary by moving toward areas where there is a projected shortage of RNs. When demand increases, higher salaries follow. Another way to increase your nurse practitioner salary is by forming a healthy mentorship with your collaborating physician.
North Carolina, being a restricted state, requires a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) for the life of your nurse practitioner career. This agreement outlines the scope of practice allowed by the supervising physician, including prescribing and ordering tests and procedures, and then includes specific instructions on how the physician will monitor compliance.
North Caroline requires a significant amount of collaboration between nurse practitioners and their supervising physicians. Quality improvement (QI) meetings are required between you and your mentoring physician monthly for six months and then twice a year after the initial setup.
Because you are legally required to communicate with your partner in the CPA, why not harness the power of their knowledge and experience for your benefit. Likely, a doctor who has agreed to sign a CPA will be experienced and successful. Think of your QI meetings as a gateway to absorbing the pathway to success paved by the physician.
While the Tar Heel State has some limitations for nurse practitioners, there are ample opportunities to be handsomely compensated. Take advantage of the tools provided by the state, including this nurse practitioner survival guide, to maximize your income as a nurse practitioner.
