Benchmark $638/mo · ranked 12 of 21 · median wage $47,370
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The benchmark premium for a 40-year-old in North Carolina is $638 a month for 2026, ranking 12 of 21 states published here. BLS reports a median annual wage of $47,370 for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers in North Carolina.
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 2 of the 21 states reported and below it in the other 19, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051) 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 concrete contractor. 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.
Benchmark premium and median wage for this occupation, ranked by premium.
| # | State | Benchmark @40 | Median wage | vs cliff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $414 | $49,390 | below |
| 2 | Virginia | $455 | $48,510 | below |
| 3 | Indiana | $474 | $59,280 | below |
| 4 | Nevada | $497 | $60,560 | below |
| 5 | Ohio | $513 | $62,050 | below |
| 6 | Michigan | $523 | $59,170 | below |
| 7 | Colorado | $557 | $60,710 | below |
| 8 | South Carolina | $564 | $47,430 | below |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $604 | $46,940 | below |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $611 | $63,490 | above |
| 11 | Georgia | $615 | $47,230 | below |
| 12 | North Carolina | $638 | $47,370 | below |
| 13 | Utah | $640 | $55,540 | below |
| 14 | Alabama | $645 | $43,740 | below |
| 15 | Illinois | $646 | $77,450 | above |
| 16 | South Dakota | $655 | $45,150 | below |
| 17 | Texas | $661 | $46,730 | below |
| 18 | Kansas | $670 | $50,640 | below |
| 19 | Florida | $683 | $46,460 | below |
| 20 | Nebraska | $710 | $48,070 | below |
| 21 | Arkansas | $774 | $46,020 | below |
This page compares states. For North Carolina specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — that is published on Coverage by County. To check whether a plan actually covers your hospital, see Plans By City.
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Put your ZIP code in and I will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to me — not a call center.
One of North Carolina’s 6 carriers is leaving. Cigna exits the individual market entirely on January 1, 2027, so if you are a concrete contractor covered by them the question is not whether you switch but whether you choose the switch yourself.
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.
Enrollment opens November 1, 2026. Treat December 15 as the deadline: it guarantees January 1 cover on every marketplace, North Carolina included. Conflicting end dates get quoted because a 2025 rule shortened the window and a court vacated it in June 2026, appeal pending — enrol by the 15th and the argument is irrelevant to you.
PPO availability is patchy here: 90 of 100 North Carolina counties. For Concrete Contractors 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:
Two Concrete Contractors on opposite sides of North Carolina can be quoted very different premiums for the same plan. Your ZIP is what decides it.