Powder materials of a series of early transition metal (groups 4-6B) carbides and nitrides, including TiC, VC, NbC, Mo2C, WC, TiN, VN and Mo2N, have been characterized by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). A comparison of the carbon and nitrogen Kedge features reveals systematic trends in the electronic properties of these materials. These results are compared to an earlier NEXAFS characterization of thin VC films produced on a single crystal V(110) surface. In addition, the NEXAFS data are also compared to existing band-structure calculations for carbides and nitrides of early transition metals.