What Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators earn in Cabarrus County, NC
If you are weighing a move or a job offer, start with $44,660: the median annual pay for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in Cabarrus County, NC. Spread over a standard 2,080-hour work year, that is $21.47 an hour. Because the wage survey covers the whole Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, the number reflects employers across the region rather than a single town or a single company.
The mean wage is $46,290, which is 3.6% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 13,000 people working in this occupation across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Cabarrus County, NC has roughly 236,133 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $33,330 a year ($16.02 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $64,720 or more ($31.12 an hour). That is a gap of $31,390 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $37,620 at the 25th percentile and $50,140 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.9 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $21.47 an hour or $44,660 a year at the median for Cabarrus County, NC. Before any deductions, that is $3,722 a month, $1,718 every two weeks and $859 each week. After taxes the same job pays $17.62 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Cabarrus County, NC compares
Compared with the North Carolina average
A worker in this occupation in Cabarrus County, NC earns $2,785 more than the North Carolina average of $41,875, a premium of 6.7%. Over a year that premium is worth $2,785 before tax and roughly $2,286 after tax. Within North Carolina, Cabarrus County, NC already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
Nationally, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators earn an employment-weighted average of $44,643 across the contiguous United States, so $44,660 in Cabarrus County, NC is essentially average. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Cabarrus County, NC
Among the 583 occupations with published wages in Cabarrus County, NC, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators ranks number 449 by median pay, ahead of about 23% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Software Developers at $135,920 a year, which is $91,260 more than the median for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators earning the Cabarrus County, NC median of $44,660, they add up to $8,003. The result is $36,657 of take-home pay a year ($3,055 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $18 goes to taxes and $82 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 17.9%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $28,910. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $3,231, an effective 7.2% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,769 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $648. FICA totals $3,416, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in North Carolina
North Carolina income tax on this salary is $1,356 a year, or 3.0% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 42% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $113 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Cabarrus County, NC
IRS Statistics of Income data for Cabarrus County, NC show an average adjusted gross income of $85,266 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 12.2% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.0%, compared with the 7.2% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Cabarrus County, NC
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Cabarrus County, NC: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $36,657 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Cabarrus County, NC, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,640 a month ($19,680 a year), and at $1,785 for two bedrooms. For Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, a one-bedroom absorbs 53.7% of take-home pay and 44.1% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 7.7% of gross pay for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in Cabarrus County, NC. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using North Carolina residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,493 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $645, for $2,138 in total. Gasoline in North Carolina averages $3.18 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,472.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $26,726 a year in Cabarrus County, NC. Subtract that from $36,657 of take-home pay and $9,931 remains, which is $828 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 22.2% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Can Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators afford to live in Cabarrus County, NC?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $44,660 that ceiling is $1,117 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,640 is $524 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $31.54 an hour; the median for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators is $21.47, which is 32% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $17.62 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 21.5 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,785 a month means $893 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $8,970 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $18,901.
How fast you can save
At $828 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 13 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 26 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators pay in Cabarrus County, NC
How much do Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators make per hour in Cabarrus County, NC?
The median is $21.47 per hour, based on $44,660 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $16.02 at the 10th percentile to $31.12 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators take home after taxes in Cabarrus County, NC?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $44,660 becomes $36,657 a year. That is $3,055 a month, $1,410 every two weeks or $705 a week.
How much tax do Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators pay in Cabarrus County, NC?
Total taxes are $8,003 a year, an effective rate of 17.9%: $3,231 federal income tax, $3,416 FICA and $1,356 North Carolina income tax.
Do Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators earn more in Cabarrus County, NC than elsewhere in North Carolina?
Yes. The local median of $44,660 is +6.7% versus the North Carolina average of $41,875, a difference of $2,785 a year.
Can Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators afford a one-bedroom apartment in Cabarrus County, NC?
A one-bedroom costs $1,640 a month against take-home pay of $3,055, which is 53.7% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,117 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in Cabarrus County, NC?
About $828 a month ($9,931 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $26,726 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Cabarrus County, NC at the 30% guideline?
$31.54 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $19,680 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators is $21.47.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the North Carolina rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.