This page is built from the open postings on hospital and health-system career sites in North Carolina listed on Betterleap's job board: 8,433 open positions from 60 employers as of October 26, 2026, 4% of all open postings on the board, which ranks North Carolina #8 of 51 states. Registered nurses are 50.4% of the state's postings (2,178). Every figure below is a count or a posted pay range, never a job description; the method is at the end.
Where the jobs are in North Carolina
| # | City | Open postings | of which RN | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte, NC | 858 | 240 | 13 |
| 2 | Durham, NC | 698 | 145 | 6 |
| 3 | Greensboro, NC | 682 | 182 | 11 |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | 614 | 165 | 15 |
| 5 | Wilmington, NC | 393 | 96 | 5 |
| 6 | Pinehurst, NC | 364 | 106 | 4 |
| 7 | Winston-Salem, NC | 355 | 131 | 5 |
| 8 | Gastonia, NC | 296 | 65 | 5 |
Every city links to its live listings; the state's registered-nurse listings are at RN jobs in North Carolina.
Health systems hiring the most in North Carolina
Counted by open postings on the system's own career site, so a system that lists every unit and shift separately ranks higher than one that posts one evergreen requisition per role.
| # | Employer | Open postings in NC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novant Health | 1,448 |
| 2 | Advocate Health | 1,162 |
| 3 | Duke Health | 981 |
| 4 | Cone Health | 916 |
| 5 | Trinity Health | 560 |
| 6 | FirstHealth of the Carolinas | 543 |
| 7 | WakeMed Health and Hospitals | 530 |
| 8 | ECU Health | 474 |
Which roles North Carolina employers are hiring
| Role | Open postings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 2,178 | 50.4% |
| physicians | 491 | 11.4% |
| medical assistants | 427 | 9.9% |
| certified nursing assistants | 302 | 7% |
| radiologic technologists | 292 | 6.8% |
| licensed practical nurses | 236 | 5.5% |
| nurse practitioners | 209 | 4.8% |
| CT technologists | 189 | 4.4% |
What nursing jobs pay in North Carolina
For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 111,120 registered nurses employed in North Carolina with a mean wage of $43.50 an hour ($90,470 a year), OEWS May 2025.
Only 3.8% of North Carolina postings state a pay range with both ends, and registered nurses postings with a range number 67; licensed practical nurses postings with a range number 38: too few to publish a posted median (the rule is at least 100 postings and a median within a third of the BLS mean). The BLS figure above is the reliable reference for this state.
Licensing: working as a nurse in North Carolina
North Carolina is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) according to NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026, which lists 40 member states). A nurse whose primary state of residence is North Carolina can hold a multistate license and practice in every other compact state without a new application, and a nurse with a multistate license issued elsewhere can accept a job in North Carolina without waiting for an endorsement. The state's board of nursing contact page is on NCSBN.
Licensing is issued by the state board of nursing: an approved nursing program, the NCLEX-RN (or NCLEX-PN), a background check and the board's application. The board's own pages are the source of truth for fees and timelines; this page does not restate them.
How this is built
- Scope: open postings on public hospital and health-system career sites, counted as of the date shown; job descriptions are never republished. Only postings whose location is in North Carolina count here; a posting listing several sites counts once, at its first site.
- Pay point: midpoint of the posted range, hourly (annual ÷ 2080), only where both ends and the unit are posted. The top of a posted range is never used as "the pay". A posted median is published only with at least 100 postings and within a third of the BLS mean.
- Freshness: counts are refreshed monthly and the page shows its date; a posting that leaves an employer's site drops out.
- References: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates; NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map data, read September 26, 2026.
Data as of October 26, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many open nursing jobs are there in North Carolina right now?
8,433 open postings from 60 hospital and health-system employers in North Carolina as of October 26, 2026, 2,178 of them for registered nurses. Charlotte has the most (858), then Durham (698).
What do registered nurses earn in North Carolina?
The BLS OEWS May 2025 mean for registered nurses in North Carolina is $43.50 an hour, $90,470 a year, across 111,120 employed RNs. Too few open postings state a pay range for a posted median to be published for this state.
Is North Carolina a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Yes. North Carolina is an NLC member per NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026), so a multistate license issued by another compact state is valid there.
Which hospitals are hiring nurses in North Carolina?
By open postings on their own career sites: Novant Health (1,448), Advocate Health (1,162), Duke Health (981) and 5 more listed above, as of October 26, 2026.
