Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| North Carolina | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $134,710 | $142,991 | -6% |
| Median hourly wage | $64.76 | $68.75 | -6% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $142,853.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | $138,884 | $99,750 | $183,750 | 101 |
| Charlotte | $134,915 | $96,900 | $178,500 | 100 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in North Carolina is $134,710, or about $64.76 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. North Carolina is -6% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in North Carolina typically earn from $99,750 depending on the city and employer.
With 58,470 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $134,710, North Carolina offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 36 of the 745 occupations reported in North Carolina — higher than 95% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Database Architects at $134,630, Information Security Analysts at $131,540, Actuaries at $128,730 — 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, software engineers rank 36 of the 745 occupations reported in North Carolina — higher than 95% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in North Carolina | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Data Scientists | $119,090 | $11,430 |
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.