Ranked 13 of 15 states · median $828/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old carpenter in North Carolina pays a median $828/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 13th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $540 from Ambetter of North Carolina in Davidson. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, North Carolina ranks 7 of 15 for this occupation.
Injury exposure means the number that matters is the out-of-pocket maximum, not the premium. A single ER visit and follow-up can hit that ceiling in one month, so these pages rank states by worst-case annual exposure rather than by monthly cost.
Occupational context: Saw and nail-gun injuries; hearing loss; back strain from lifting.
None of that changes your price. ACA plans in North Carolina are community rated — premium varies by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size only. Your occupation cannot be used to rate you, decline you, or exclude a condition. What it changes is which plan design is the right bet.
Premium is set by rating area, so a carpenter in one North Carolina county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | $826 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 2 |
| Northampton | $826 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 2 |
| Hyde | $834 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC | $2,800 | 2 |
| Davie | $540 | Ambetter of North Carolina | $6,000 | 6 |
| Cabarrus | $575 | Oscar Health Plan of North Carolina | $5,500 | 4 |
| Rockingham | $585 | Oscar Health Plan of North Carolina | $5,500 | 5 |
The spread across just these six is $294/month — $3,523 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $540 to $1,128. Coverage by County publishes all 100 North Carolina counties individually.
| North Carolina — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $7,000 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $10,600 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $558 — Ambetter of North Carolina |
| Gold deductible | $2,000 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $540 — Ambetter of North Carolina |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $755 |
For a carpenter, the gap between $7,000 and $10,600 in annual out-of-pocket maximum is worth more than any premium difference on this page. One serious injury reaches that ceiling regardless of which plan you picked.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 4,859 plan records across 100 North Carolina counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Florida ($789), Utah ($805), Texas ($807). More expensive: Arkansas ($828), Nebraska ($875).
Side-by-side: North Carolina vs Utah · North Carolina vs Texas · North Carolina vs Arkansas · North Carolina vs Nebraska
Read the comparison as context, not as a shopping list. Your county of residence determines what you can buy, and for a carpenter that is fixed unless you relocate. Where it is actionable is a move already in progress — that is a qualifying life event, and you have 60 days on either side of it.
Expense categories that typically apply to this trade: Tools, truck, lumber, jobsite travel, liability insurance. Premiums are generally deductible above the line under IRC §162(l) when no employer plan is available to you or your spouse — a question for your CPA, not your agent.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in North Carolina is $540 per month from Ambetter of North Carolina, with a state median of $828. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
No. North Carolina exchange plans are guaranteed issue and community rated, so a carpenter pays exactly what anyone else of the same age in the same ZIP pays. Occupation is not on the application as a rating factor.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, POS, PPO.
North Carolina ranks 13 of 15 states covered here, at a median $828 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 1 of the 21 states reported and below it in the other 20, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Carpenters (SOC 47-2031) in North Carolina. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed carpenter. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For North Carolina specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Carpenters in North Carolina and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
North Carolina loses a carrier this cycle: Cigna is out of the ACA individual market from January 1, 2027, leaving 5 filing here. For Carpenters that is a forced decision, and a better one made in November than in January.
Nobody can tell you your 2027 North Carolina premium yet. Filings nationally cluster around a 15% median increase, with the full spread running −1% to 54% — and until this state signs off, a specific local number is invention.
The window opens November 1, 2026, and December 15 is the date worth writing down — it is what secures January 1 cover in North Carolina and everywhere else. You will find later dates quoted; they stem from a 2025 rule that was vacated in June 2026 and is under appeal.
PPO availability is patchy here: 90 of 100 North Carolina counties. For Carpenters the county you are rated in, not the state, decides whether out-of-area care is paid for.
You already know you are changing plans — Cigna is leaving. The only real question is whether you pick the replacement or the marketplace picks it for you, and that is a much easier decision made in August than in the second week of December.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
The sticker price is rarely what Carpenters in North Carolina end up paying. Start with a ZIP and I will work out your actual number.