How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Asheville, NC?

Percentile spread

For Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, the published 10th percentile is $27,530 and the 90th percentile is $54,430. The difference is $26,900, which is 59.1% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $36,880 to the 75th at $47,920, covers $11,040.

The mean annual wage is $43,010, which sits below the median of $45,520. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Asheville, NC median is 8.4% lower than the national median of $49,690 for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. In 2024 national prices the local median is $47,168, which is 5.1% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 1.9% higher than the North Carolina median of $44,670.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Asheville, NC is 96.506, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $45,520 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors at $47,168 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

28 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Asheville, NC ranks 9th of 29 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Johnson City, TN is 47 miles away, with a median of $28,880 and employment of 60. That median is 36.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,845, against $47,168 here.
• Morristown, TN is 57 miles away, with a median of $38,020 and employment of 100. That median is 16.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $44,023, against $47,168 here.
• Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC is 64 miles away, with a median of $36,960 and employment of 210. That median is 18.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $41,769, against $47,168 here.

Employment share

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors accounts for 0.12% of wage-and-salary employment in Asheville, NC (220 of 180,620). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (147,240 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.29 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.