- The middle half earn between $19.64 and $29.26 an hour.
- North Carolina ranks 28th of the 49 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- North Carolina pays more than 3 of its 4 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 1,560 tree trimmers on payrolls in North Carolina.
- At the state median wage, a tree service needs to bill about $111.52 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Tree Trimmer pay in North Carolina, bottom to top
BLS calls this group tree trimmers and pruners. It covers climbers who cut and prune trees for homes, roads and utility lines, and includes utility arborists.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.37 | $36,130 | $18.24 |
| 25th percentile | $19.64 | $40,860 | $21.56 |
| Median | $23.31 | $48,480 | $24.50 |
| 75th percentile | $29.26 | $60,860 | $30.72 |
| 90th percentile | $30.10 | $62,600 | $38.61 |
| Average (mean) | $25.01 | $52,020 | $26.91 |
Pay is bunched up in North Carolina. The top tenth earn $30.10 an hour or more, about 1.7 times the $17.37 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.1 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $0.87 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $8.51 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage, $25.01, sits 7% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical tree trimmer makes.
How North Carolina compares with other states
Over a full year the gap to the national median is small: $48,480 in North Carolina against $50,960 nationally, $2,480 less.
In the state ranking, North Carolina sits 28th, between Virginia ($23.34) and Kansas ($23.27). The range runs from $18.94 in Nebraska to $37.24 in Minnesota.
Against its neighboring states, North Carolina is in the middle: Virginia pays more, and Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee pay less.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $23.31 | $48,480 | |
| Georgia | $22.55 | $46,910 | −$0.76 an hour |
| South Carolina | $20.99 | $43,660 | −$2.32 an hour |
| Tennessee | $22.76 | $47,350 | −$0.55 an hour |
| Virginia | $23.34 | $48,550 | +$0.03 an hour |
How many tree trimmers work in North Carolina
About 1,560 tree trimmers work on payrolls in North Carolina, 2.8% of the 55,160 nationwide, the 10th largest count among the states.
That is 0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in North Carolina, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a tree service in North Carolina should charge
Say you run a tree service in North Carolina and pay the state median of $23.31 an hour. Here is the labor rate calculator's math on its 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 | $23.31 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $52,194 |
| Break-even rate | ($52,194 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $94.80 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $94.80 ÷ 0.85 | $111.52 |
That is $111.52 per billable hour, 4.8 times the wage, and $2.09 less than the $113.61 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $29.26 in North Carolina, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $121.97.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $19.64, the rate only drops to $105.08.
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 a tree trimmer in North Carolina
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how tree services 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 37-3013, tree trimmers and pruners, 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: tree trimmer salary by state.