RN Employment

• About 2.6 million RNs were working in the United States in 2009, and an estimated 88,190 of them were employed in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Durham ranks fifth in the country for the highest concentration of RNs by metropolitan area, with about 10,910 of these nurses working there in 2009.
  
  

RN Salary Range

• RNs in North Carolina were earning an average salary of $28.31 per hour in 2009, or $58,880 per year, as determined by the BLS. The middle 50 percent of North Carolina RNs were earning $48,530 to $66,160 annually. The top 10 percent had yearly salaries of $77,550 and higher, and only the bottom 10 percent were making $42,730 per year and less.
  
  

RNs by Region

• Metropolitan Durham not only has a high concentration of RNs per capita, but is also the highest-paying area in North Carolina for RNS. Their average salary in Durham in 2009 was $62,160. Other high-paying areas for RNs in North Carolina included Fayetteville, with an average annual salary of $61,920, and the Raleigh-Cary area at $61,030. Average RN annual salaries in other parts of North Carolina ranged from about $54,800 to $59,400.
  
  

LPN Salary Range

• Of the estimated 728,670 LPNs working in the United States in 2009, about 17,280 of them were employed in North Carolina. Their average salary was $19.09 per hour, or $39,710 per year. The middle 50 percent of LPNs in North Carolina were making $34,680 to $45,150 per year. The bottom 10 percent had salaries of $30,680 and less, and the top 10 percent were earning at least $50,260 per year.
  
  

LPNs by Region

• The highest average salaries for LPNs in North Carolina were in different regions than the highest-paying areas for RNs. The top-paying area for LPNs in the state in 2009 was Burlington, with an average salary of $44,010 per year. Other high-paying areas included the greater Charlotte region, at $41,190 per year on average, Rocky Mount at $42,000 and the greater Durham area at $42,220. In contrast, the lowest average LPN salary was in Jacksonville, at $33,570. Average LPN salaries ranged from about $36,000 to $41,000 in other parts of the state.