Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| North Carolina | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $119,090 | $120,395 | -1% |
| Median hourly wage | $57.25 | $57.88 | -1% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $126,288.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | $113,421 | $89,250 | $173,250 | 101 |
| Charlotte | $110,180 | $86,700 | $168,300 | 100 |
The median annual salary for a Data Scientist in North Carolina is $119,090, or about $57.25 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Data Scientists is $120,395. North Carolina is -1% below the national median.
Entry-level data scientists in North Carolina typically earn from $89,250 depending on the city and employer.
With 11,430 data scientist jobs on record and a median salary of $119,090, North Carolina offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 64 of the 745 occupations reported in North Carolina — higher than 91% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Software Developers at $134,710, Database Architects at $134,630, Information Security Analysts at $131,540 — all figures are median annual wages for North Carolina.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. North Carolina levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 95.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, data scientists rank 64 of the 745 occupations reported in North Carolina — higher than 91% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in North Carolina | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $134,710 | $58,470 |
| Database Architects | $134,630 | $4,070 |
| Information Security Analysts | $131,540 | $8,670 |
| Actuaries | $128,730 | $610 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $128,370 | $600 |
| Computer Network Architects | $127,320 | $8,350 |
North Carolina levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 95.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 745 occupations in North Carolina.