- The middle half earn between $13.16 and $17.98 an hour.
- North Carolina is 42nd of the 50 states and DC, in the bottom ten for this trade.
- North Carolina pays more than 1 of its 4 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 13,820 auto detailers on payrolls in North Carolina.
- At the state median wage, a detailing business needs to bill about $98.85 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Auto Detailer pay in North Carolina, bottom to top
BLS has no separate figure for auto detailers. These are its numbers for cleaners of vehicles and equipment, the group that holds auto detailers along with car wash attendants and equipment cleaners.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $10.83 | $22,530 | $13.17 |
| 25th percentile | $13.16 | $27,370 | $14.62 |
| Median | $16.09 | $33,470 | $17.23 |
| 75th percentile | $17.98 | $37,400 | $19.73 |
| 90th percentile | $21.40 | $44,520 | $22.89 |
| Average (mean) | $15.86 | $32,980 | $17.78 |
Pay spreads out a lot in North Carolina. The bottom tenth earn $10.83 an hour or less while the top tenth earn $21.40 or more, a gap of 2 times against 1.7 nationally. Where a auto detailer sits on that range matters as much as the state.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $2.34 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $1.49 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage ($15.86) is a little under the median, so the low end of the range stretches further than the high end in North Carolina.
How North Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year, the North Carolina median of $33,470 is $2,360 less than the national $35,830.
In the state ranking, North Carolina sits 42nd, between Wyoming ($16.29) and Florida ($16.05). The range runs from $13.27 in Louisiana to $20.53 in the District of Columbia.
Against its neighboring states, North Carolina is in the middle: South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia pay more, and Georgia pays less.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $16.09 | $33,470 | |
| Georgia | $14.72 | $30,610 | −$1.37 an hour |
| South Carolina | $16.46 | $34,230 | +$0.37 an hour |
| Tennessee | $16.80 | $34,950 | +$0.71 an hour |
| Virginia | $16.56 | $34,450 | +$0.47 an hour |
How many auto detailers work in North Carolina
About 13,820 auto detailers work on payrolls in North Carolina, 3.6% of the 380,430 nationwide, the 6th largest count among the states.
That is 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in North Carolina, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a detailing business in North Carolina should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a detailing business in North Carolina paying the state median of $16.09, on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $16.09 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $36,027 |
| Break-even rate | ($36,027 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $84.02 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $84.02 ÷ 0.85 | $98.85 |
That is $98.85 per billable hour, 6.1 times the wage, and $2.00 less than the $100.85 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $17.98 in North Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $102.16.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $13.16, the rate only drops to $93.70.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an auto detailer in North Carolina
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how detailers run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 53-7061, cleaners of vehicles and equipment, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: auto detailer salary by state.