Raleigh-Cary, NC · CBSA 39580
Software Engineer Salary in Raleigh
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Raleigh-Cary, NC, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against North Carolina and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Raleigh earn a median of $131,390 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $103,660–$163,430; the top 10% earn $180,630. That is 1% below the national median and level with the North Carolina median. BLS reports 12,290 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$131,390
-1% vs national
Top 10% earn
$180,630
90th percentile
Employed in metro
12,290
Reliability Good (6.8% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Raleigh vs North Carolina vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $82,900 | +4% |
| 25th percentile | $103,660 | +1% |
| Median50th percentile | $131,390 | -1% |
| 75th percentile | $163,430 | -3% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $180,630 | -15% |
| Meanaverage | $135,620 | -6% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Raleigh
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.58
Jobs per 1,000
16.99
Metro rank (pay)
#38 of 381
All engineering roles
$119,434
At a location quotient of 1.58, Raleigh is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.6× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Raleigh?
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Raleigh-Cary, NC (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →