How much do hazardous materials removal workers make in North Carolina in 2026?

Hazardous materials removal workers in North Carolina earn a median wage of $43,180 per year, which works out to about $20.76 per hour. That's the midpoint — half the workers in this trade in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a lower-demand area, the 25th percentile sits at $39,160 a year ($18.83/hr). Workers in the top quarter of earners — typically those with more certifications, more years on the job, or positions with larger commercial or industrial contractors — pull in $47,320 a year or more, which is roughly $22.75 per hour. These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

The spread from the bottom to top quartile is about $8,160 a year. That gap is real money, and it's almost entirely explained by a handful of factors: the type of material you're certified to handle, the sector you work in, and whether your employer takes on federally regulated jobsites.

Certifications matter more in this trade than in most. Workers certified to handle asbestos, lead, and mold each carry a different credential, and contractors bidding on federally funded demolition or remediation projects often require all three. A worker who holds multiple certifications and can move between project types without retraining is more valuable to a contractor than one with a single credential. Earning that second or third certification is one of the clearest ways to move from the $18–$19/hr range toward $22–$23/hr.

The type of project also drives pay differences. Commercial and industrial abatement — think office towers, manufacturing plants, and government buildings — tends to pay better than residential work. Large-scale remediation contracts, including Superfund site cleanup and post-disaster hazmat response, often involve federal prevailing wage requirements that push hourly rates higher than what standard residential jobs pay.

Geography within North Carolina plays a role as well. The Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) and Charlotte metro areas have more commercial construction and demolition activity than rural parts of the state, which generally means more steady work and stronger competition among contractors for certified workers. That tighter labor supply in metro areas tends to support wages at or above the state median.

Shift differentials and hazard pay add up over a full year. Some employers pay a premium for work involving particularly hazardous materials — certain industrial solvents, radioactive materials, or large-scale lead abatement — or for overnight and weekend shifts. These premiums aren't reflected in the base wage figures above, but they can meaningfully increase total annual earnings for workers willing to take on that work.

There is no published union scale for this trade in North Carolina at this time. Workers covered by collective bargaining agreements in other states sometimes earn above the 75th percentile figures, but in North Carolina the market is primarily non-union, and wages are set by individual employer pay scales and contractor bids.

If you're comparing offers, convert everything to an hourly rate before you decide. A job offering $41,000 a year is about $19.71/hr — that's above the 25th percentile but below the state median. A job at $46,000 is roughly $22.12/hr, close to the 75th percentile. Knowing where any offer lands in that range tells you whether you're being paid fairly for your certification level and experience.