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North Carolina engineer salary

Estimate

Updated March 2025

What engineers earn across North Carolina, from published wage data — explore it city by city and discipline by discipline.

Typical pay

$116,968

North Carolina

Top earners

$164,277

Higher end

vs national

-3% vs national

U.S. $120,395

Cities

6

in this state

Engineers in North Carolina earn a blended median of $116,968 per year, -3% vs national, with top earners near $164,277. That blends 12 engineering occupations across 105,820 published jobs in North Carolina. Per-discipline figures below are published wage data, not modeled.

Engineering pay by role in North Carolina

Published wage data for each discipline in North Carolina. Disciplines without published data for this state are not listed.

21results

Engineering salaries by city in North Carolina

Open a city for its full role breakdown — or add a city we don't cover yet.

Top-paying

Durham

$122,897

+2% vs national

View Durham salaries

Charlotte

$121,933

+1% vs national

View Charlotte salaries

Raleigh

$119,434

-1% vs national

View Raleigh salaries

Wilmington

$108,610

-10% vs national

View Wilmington salaries

Fayetteville

$108,129

-10% vs national

View Fayetteville salaries

Asheville

$106,225

-12% vs national

View Asheville salaries

Greensboro

$105,744

-12% vs national

View Greensboro salaries

Winston

$103,676

-14% vs national

View Winston salaries

Pinehurst

$102,941

-14% vs national

View Pinehurst salaries

Jacksonville

$101,812

-15% vs national

View Jacksonville salaries

Burlington

$99,248

-18% vs national

View Burlington salaries

Greenville

$97,058

-19% vs national

View Greenville salaries

Rocky Mount

$95,150

-21% vs national

View Rocky Mount salaries

Hickory

$94,694

-21% vs national

View Hickory salaries

Goldsboro

$88,418

-27% vs national

View Goldsboro salaries

More cities in North Carolina

We don't publish a separate estimate for these yet. Use the North Carolina estimate above as your starting point — and add your pay to put your city on the map.

Estimate any city
CaryDurhamGreensboroWinston-Salem

Don't see your city? Submit your salary or request a city — new cities appear as engineers contribute.

What affects engineering pay in North Carolina

  • ▹Local market. North Carolina pay runs -3% vs national for the typical engineer, driven by local demand and living costs.
  • ▹Discipline mix. Software, petroleum, and engineering-management roles pull averages up; civil and environmental roles sit lower. Use the role table above for specifics.
  • ▹Metro concentration. Pay clusters in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and other metros, which run above the statewide estimate.
  • ▹Remote & experience.Remote roles often anchor to a company's HQ market rather than North Carolina; seniority can swing pay ±35% around the median.

Engineer salaries in North Carolina — FAQ

How much do engineers make in North Carolina?
Engineers in North Carolina earn a blended median of $116,968 per year — 3% below the national average — across 12 engineering occupations and 105,820 jobs. There is no single BLS "engineer" occupation, so this blends the published medians of the engineering occupations reported for the area, weighted by local employment (BLS OEWS May 2024).
What is the highest-paying engineering job in North Carolina?
Engineering Managers have the highest published median in North Carolina, at $163,430 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024.
Is North Carolina a good state for engineers?
Engineering pay in North Carolina runs 3% below the national average, across 105,820 engineering jobs. Cost of living is often lower to match, so real take-home can still be strong.
Which cities in North Carolina pay engineers the most?
Engineering pay is highest in Durham ($122,897), Charlotte ($121,933), and Raleigh ($119,434), based on published BLS metro-area wages.
Source details

BLS publishes no single "engineer" occupation. This blends the published medians of 12 engineering occupations in North Carolina, weighted by local employment (105,820 jobs).

Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →

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