Pay and cost of living in Watauga County, NC
Across the 2 occupations we cover in Watauga County, NC, the middle median salary is $29,595 a year. Pay runs from $28,700 for Cashiers up to $30,490 for Retail Salespersons, a spread of $1,790. Wages come from the Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in Watauga County, NC has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,124 a month and a two-bedroom $1,311. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $20,534 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $25,192 a year, and every one of the 2 occupations listed here earns enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in Watauga County, NC
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Watauga County, NC, set beside the North Carolina and national medians.
Median household income in Watauga County, NC is $51,693, 29% below the North Carolina median of $72,388 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($13,488) equals 26.1% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $29,595, is 43% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in Watauga County, NC pay a median of $1,386 a year in real estate taxes, 27% below the North Carolina median of $1,896. With a median home value of $358,900, 24% above the North Carolina median of $288,900, the ratio of the two medians is 0.39% a year.
Renters in Watauga County, NC pay a median gross rent of $1,127 a month in the Census survey, 8% below the North Carolina median of $1,228. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $1,124; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in Watauga County, NC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 21.2 minutes each way, 16% below the North Carolina average of 25.1. 10.4% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.