SOC 53-7064 · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro

Packers and Packagers, Hand Salary in Hickory, NC

The average salary for packers and packagers, hand in Hickory, North Carolina is $35,780 a year ($17.20 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $35,840: half of the 1,010 people in this job in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($37,619).

$35,780average per year

$17.20 / hourMedian $35,840Take-home ≈ $30,010

  • $28K10th
  • $32K25th
  • $36KMedian
  • $40K75th
  • $44K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

1,010people in this job
-5%vs U.S. metro average
#4 of 15North Carolina metros
88cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Packers and Packagers, Hand pay range in Hickory

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $27,940 a year or less, while the top 10% make $44,310 or more. The middle half of packers and packagers, hand in Hickory earn between $32,150 and $39,580.

  • $28K10th
  • $32K25th
  • $36KMedian
  • $40K75th
  • $44K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$35,780$2,982$17.20
Median$35,840$2,987$17.23
Entry level (25th percentile)$32,150$2,679$15.46
Experienced (75th percentile)$39,580$3,298$19.03

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Packers and Packagers, Hand salary after taxes in Hickory

On the average salary of $35,780, a single filer in Hickory takes home about $30,010 a year, or $2,501 a month and $1,154 every two weeks. Taxes take 16% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).

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Is Hickory a good place for packers and packagers, hand? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Hickory area are 12% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.5), so the average $35,780 buys what about $40,436 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Hickory ($45,220). A typical home costs $271,739, or 7.6 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $35,780 is worth in another city

Packers and Packagers, Hand salary in other North Carolina cities

Hickory ranks 4th of 15 North Carolina metro areas for this job; Asheville pays the most ($37,380).

All Packers and Packagers, Hand salaries in North Carolina

Highest-paying cities for packers and packagers, hand

Fairbanks, AK pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($47,850).

Packers and Packagers, Hand salary by city

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Packers and Packagers, Hand salary in Hickory: questions

How much do packers and packagers, hand make an hour in Hickory?

$17.20 an hour on average, and $17.23 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level packers and packagers, hand salary in Hickory?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $27,940 a year and the 25th percentile is $32,150, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the packers and packagers, hand take-home pay in Hickory?

About $30,010 a year ($2,501 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $35,780.

Do packers and packagers, hand earn more in Hickory than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($37,619).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 53-7064; area Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC (25860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.83, this job is 1.8 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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