North Carolina · Tax Manager Salary
Tax Manager Salary in North Carolina
What tax managers earn in North Carolina — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS North Carolina wage ($82,050) → tax manager role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Tax Manager make in North Carolina?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 North Carolina wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The tax manager figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Tax Manager · estimated median
$127,200
Modeled median for a tax manager in North Carolina, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payNorth Carolina · verified BLS median
$82,050
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in North Carolina — the base every estimate here is built on.
All North Carolina payState rank (verified)
#16 of 51
Where North Carolina ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in North Carolina — not for tax managers, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $53,610 | $25.77/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $65,120 | $31.31/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $82,050 | $39.45/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $108,090 | $51.97/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $146,100 | $70.24/hr | Top earners |
The North Carolina figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $82,050 median across 49,270 accountants and auditors employed in North Carolina.
Every tax manager figure on this page — $127,200 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (1.55×), because BLS publishes no tax manager-specific wage.
Comparison
Tax Manager pay in North Carolina vs. national
North Carolina's measured accountant median runs -1.9% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Tax Manager — North Carolina
estimated median
$127,200
+55.0%Tax Manager — national
estimated median
$129,700
+58.1%All accountants — North Carolina
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$82,050
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+2.0%
The tax manager estimate sits +55.0% above the verified North Carolina accountant median and -1.9% versus the national tax manager estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
North Carolina market
What shapes tax manager pay in North Carolina
North Carolina’s strongest accounting and finance pay is in the Charlotte banking market and the Raleigh–Durham research triangle. A relatively low cost of living means competitive take-home pay even where the headline number tracks the national median.
The tax manager owns a portfolio of client engagements end to end — planning, review, technical positions, and the client relationship. The CPA license is effectively required at this level, and business development starts to matter.
Local pay depends heavily on the firm mix in the market: Big 4 and national-firm offices carry a brand premium over regional and local practices at the same title. Specialized groups — international, M&A, partnership, and SALT — command more than general compliance work.
Role ladder
Tax Manager vs. other roles in North Carolina
Each level's multiplier applied to North Carolina's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · North Carolina
On North Carolina's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $67,300 (Tax Associate) to $295,400 (Partner). Tax Manager sits at $127,200.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner | $295,400 | ||
| Senior Manager | $168,200 | ||
| Tax Manager | $127,200 | ||
| Tax Senior | $88,600 | ||
| Tax Associate | $67,300 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Tax Manager pay by experience in North Carolina
North Carolina's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the tax manager level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $109,400 | $122,500 |
| 2–4 years | $122,100 | $136,800 |
| 5–7 years | $137,400 | $153,900 |
| 8–12 years | $152,600 | $170,900 |
| 13–20 years | $167,900 | $188,000 |
| 20+ years | $180,600 | $202,300 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Tax Manager pay by employer type in North Carolina
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $142,400 | +7.6% |
| National firm | $133,500 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $124,600 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $117,000 | -11.6% |
| Industry / corporate | $132,300 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Tax Manager pay across North Carolina metros
BLS measures 15 metro areas for accountants and auditors in North Carolina. The measured median is verified; the tax manager column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Tax Manager medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $92,910 | $144,000 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $85,090 | $131,900 |
| Raleigh-Cary | $81,950 | $127,000 |
| Asheville | $80,400 | $124,600 |
| Burlington | $80,320 | $124,500 |
| Greensboro-High Point | $80,170 | $124,300 |
| Winston-Salem | $78,950 | $122,400 |
| Fayetteville | $78,560 | $121,800 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The tax manager column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like North Carolina
Ranked immediately around North Carolina (#16 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a tax manager weighing a move.
Compare states
Tax Manager pay in other states
Where tax managers are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — North Carolina ranks #16 of 51.
Tax Manager salary in North Carolina — FAQ
- How much does a Tax Manager make in North Carolina?
- A tax manager in North Carolina earns an estimated $127,200 per year, typically ranging from $101,000 to $167,600+. That is -1.9% versus the national tax manager estimate of $129,700. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no tax manager-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified North Carolina median for accountants and auditors ($82,050) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about North Carolina?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or tax managers specifically. For North Carolina, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $82,050, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $65,120–$108,090 and 49,270 accountants and auditors employed in North Carolina. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is North Carolina a good state to work as a Tax Manager?
- North Carolina ranks #16 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -1.9% versus the national median. Tax managers are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Tax Manager in North Carolina earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the tax manager estimate of $127,200 runs +55.0% versus the verified North Carolina median for all accountants and auditors ($82,050). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which North Carolina metro pays tax managers the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia leads North Carolina at $92,910 — about +18.3% versus Fayetteville ($78,560). Tax Manager pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your North Carolina tax manager salary
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