North Carolina Apprenticeship Programs
As of September 2026, North Carolina operates one of the larger registered-apprenticeship systems in the country: 18,500 active apprentices in 750 programs, with completion pay near $27.20/hour.
- Active apprentices
- 18,500
- National rank
- #15 / 51
- Completion rate
- 55.2%
- Completion wage
- $27
North Carolina ranks #15 of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices - about 2.2% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 55.2% completion rate sits 3 pts below the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 78% - from $15 to $27 an hour.
Apprenticeship filing desk
Jurisdiction NO · North Carolina
North Carolina registered-apprenticeship filing: 18,500 active apprentices (rank 15/51), 750 programs, 55.2% completion.
- BOOK-MID 18,500
- RANK-MID #15
- PROG-MID 750
- COMP-MID 55.2%
- WAGE-MID +78%
- SHARE-SMALL 2.2%
- NEW-FY 4,800
Nearest enrollment peer: New Jersey (500 apprentice gap)
U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship filing stamps for this jurisdiction. Read: fastest growing occupations 2034
Where North Carolina sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Enrollment by jurisdiction; North Carolina sits in the top tercile. Inventory size is not a quality ranking.
North Carolina vs all states by active apprentices
Where this state's DOL registered-apprenticeship enrollment sits among every tracked jurisdiction
18,500 15th of 51 higher than 36 of 51 states
States and territories, banded by active apprentices
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data · 2026-09-25
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce.
Reading North Carolina's numbers
What stands out in this state's DOL filing, most distinctive first. Every figure below is computed from the state's own row in the dataset.
The signature stat: wage lift
The standout metric here is a flat wage arc: 78.4% growth from start to completion, less than 98% of states manage.
Below-average completion
Completion trails at 55.2%, 3 points under the national 58.2%. Whatever intake achieves, attrition gives part of it back.
Where the scale sits
18,500 active apprentices rank 15 of 51 nationally, 2.2% of all registered enrollment.
Middle-of-the-road program size
750 registered programs at 24.7 apprentices per program lands in the middle tercile of states; program structure is not what distinguishes this system.
Steady intake
A 25.9% intake ratio (4,800 new apprentices this fiscal year) keeps North Carolina in the middle tercile for pipeline speed.
North Carolina's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score, most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Sheet Metal Worker 23%
- Plumber 27%
- Carpenter 28%
- HVAC Mechanic -
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does North Carolina have?
18,500 active registered apprentices — rank 15 of 51 jurisdictions — spread over about 750 registered programs.
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in North Carolina?
55.2%, which trails the 58.2% national average by 3 points.
How much do apprentices earn in North Carolina?
Apprentices start near $15.25/hour and finish near $27.20. The 78.4% progression is flatter than in most states.
What are the top apprenticeship trades in North Carolina?
The dataset's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations for North Carolina are Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter, HVAC Mechanic, Sheet Metal Worker — construction trades dominate registered apprenticeship in every state.
How does North Carolina compare with neighboring systems?
On the dataset's own axes: rank 15 of 51 by enrollment, 55.2% completion, 78.4% wage progression. The comparison links below open the states adjacent in rank.
Compare other states
Put these numbers to use
Use North Carolina's apprenticeship numbers above to plan a specific trade path, not just compare states.
- Compare an apprenticeship path against a college degree using real wage and growth numbers. Apprenticeships vs college
- The full occupation directory covers wage and AI exposure for any specific trade. Browse all occupations
- See which occupations are projected to add the most jobs through 2034. Fastest-growing occupations
Apprenticeship figures come from U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data; enrollment and completion vary by program and year.
Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state), O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores).