Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Salary
The median pay for a meeting, convention, and event planners in Wilmington, NC is $50,060/year ($24.07/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $101K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.42), that's roughly $51,919 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,426/month, about 42.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Wilmington?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Wilmington’s Regional Price Parity (96.42). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About meeting, convention, and event planners
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What this looks like in Wilmington
Pay for meeting, convention, and event planners in Wilmington runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $61K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,426/month, which is 42.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.42) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for meeting, convention, and event plannerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for meeting, convention, and event planners in metros near Wilmington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $59K | $61K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $55K | $56K |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $55K | $56K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $50K | $54K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Wilmington, NC
Entry-level meeting, convention, and event planners (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $101K or more, a $74K spread from bottom to top.
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $77K | +26% | 2,360 |
| Massachusetts | $76K | +24% | 4,640 |
| New York | $75K | +22% | 10,330 |
| Hawaii | $74K | +22% | 550 |
| Vermont | $74K | +22% | 430 |
| New Jersey | $73K | +19% | 2,160 |
| California | $71K | +16% | 20,650 |
| Connecticut | $70K | +14% | 1,450 |
| Washington | $66K | +7% | 3,600 |
| Maryland | $63K | +3% | 2,570 |
| New Hampshire | $63K | +3% | 510 |
| Colorado | $62K | +1% | 4,650 |
| Arizona | $61K | +0% | 3,440 |
| Louisiana | $61K | -0% | 610 |
| Oregon | $61K | -0% | 2,020 |
| Virginia | $61K | -0% | 4,230 |
| Florida | $60K | -1% | 10,480 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | -2% | 890 |
| Illinois | $60K | -2% | 5,220 |
| Pennsylvania | $58K | -5% | 3,940 |
| Maine | $58K | -5% | 490 |
| Minnesota | $58K | -6% | 3,160 |
| Nevada | $58K | -6% | 2,060 |
| Texas | $57K | -6% | 10,730 |
| Missouri | $57K | -7% | 2,500 |
| Wyoming | $56K | -9% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $55K | -10% | 4,340 |
| Alaska | $55K | -10% | 150 |
| Kansas | $55K | -10% | 920 |
| Utah | $54K | -11% | 1,970 |
| Wisconsin | $54K | -12% | 2,690 |
| Arkansas | $53K | -13% | 550 |
| Michigan | $53K | -14% | 3,560 |
| Nebraska | $53K | -14% | 610 |
| Alabama | $52K | -15% | 980 |
| Tennessee | $52K | -15% | 3,260 |
| South Carolina | $52K | -15% | 1,240 |
| Iowa | $52K | -15% | 1,120 |
| North Dakota | $52K | -15% | 300 |
| New Mexico | $51K | -17% | 350 |
| Indiana | $50K | -18% | 2,140 |
| Ohio | $50K | -18% | 4,750 |
| Kentucky | $49K | -19% | 1,110 |
| Georgia | $49K | -19% | 5,050 |
| Delaware | $49K | -20% | 400 |
| Montana | $49K | -20% | 350 |
| Oklahoma | $49K | -20% | 1,440 |
| South Dakota | $47K | -23% | 340 |
| Mississippi | $45K | -27% | 360 |
| West Virginia | $36K | -42% | 300 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track meeting, convention, and event planners salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Wilmington numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a meeting, convention, and event planner afford a 2BR apartment alone in Wilmington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 42.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,426/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for meeting, convention, and event planners in Wilmington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new meeting, convention, and event planners typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,653/month. At HUD’s $1,426/month FMR, rent would take 86% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is meeting, convention, and event planner a high-paying job in Wilmington?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $50K here vs. $61K nationally.
How does Wilmington compare to the national average for meeting, convention, and event planners?
Wilmington pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — below the national median.
How much do meeting, convention, and event planners make in Wilmington, NC?
The median is $50,060 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,550, and experienced meeting, convention, and event planners can clear $101,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Wilmington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,334/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,426/month, which eats 42.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a meeting, convention, and event planners salary go in Wilmington?
Wilmington has a Regional Price Parity of 96.42 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median meeting, convention, and event planners salary is worth about $51,919 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do meeting, convention, and event planners get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.