Raleigh-Cary, NC Salaries
Highest published occupation medians in Raleigh-Cary, NC - BLS OEWS May 2025
Observed metro pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025
- BLS's published All Occupations median in Raleigh-Cary, NC moved from $49,560 in May 2024 to $51,990 in May 2025 (+4.9%).
- Across the 393 metros priced in both releases, the median place changed +3.1%.
- Raleigh-Cary, NC sits +1.8 pp ahead of that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Based on wage level, year-over-year wage growth, and regional-price-parity-adjusted purchasing power from BLS and BEA sources, not job availability, industry mix, or day-to-day livability.
Firefighters shows the widest metro-area vs national median gap in Raleigh-Cary, NC
Firefighters publishes $45,640 here versus $59,280 nationally (-23.0%; 2,510metro-area jobs). Next is Bus Drivers, School at $38,530 locally versus $47,920 nationally (-19.6%).
- Firefighters$45,640 in Raleigh-Cary, NC sits 23.0% below the national Firefighters median of $59,280 (2,510 published local jobs).
- Bus Drivers, School$38,530 in Raleigh-Cary, NC sits 19.6% below the national Bus Drivers, School median of $47,920 (2,120 published local jobs).
- Childcare Workers$28,680 in Raleigh-Cary, NC sits 18.0% below the national Childcare Workers median of $34,980 (2,070 published local jobs).
- Lawyers$131,920 in Raleigh-Cary, NC sits 17.4% below the national Lawyers median of $159,670 (4,350 published local jobs).
Firefighters and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Raleigh-Cary, NC; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.
BLS OEWS metro wage desk
MSA 39580 · Raleigh-Cary, NC $70K mean
MEAN-MEGA · RPP-MID · OCC-MOST · TOP-LEAD · EMP-MIX · TREND-INLINE · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-FULL
- MEAN-MEGA #47/528
- RPP-MID 98.2
- OCC-MOST 568 occs
- TOP-LEAD Physicians, Al… · $354K
- EMP-MIX Computer and…
- TREND-INLINE +1.8 pp
- PHOTO-FINISH Charlottesville,…
- BOOK-FULL 544 rows · May 2025
Read with Charlottesville, VA ($247 on published-row mean) · Highest-paying careers
Instrument codes from this MSA’s OEWS published-row mean, BEA RPP, occupation book, employment lead, All Occupations pay change, and nearest peer, not a moving recommendation.
Published-row mean neighbourhood around Raleigh-Cary, NC
Employment scale inside Raleigh-Cary, NC's top-pay list
Computer and Information Systems Managers and Managers, All Other lead published employment inside Raleigh-Cary, NC's top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.
- 1. Computer and Information Systems Managers 6,010 jobs · $173,960
- 2. Managers, All Other 4,320 jobs · $147,370
- 3. Financial Managers 3,690 jobs · $163,130
- 4. Sales Managers 3,280 jobs · $163,520
- 5. Information Security Analysts 2,510 jobs · $143,640
- 6. Marketing Managers 2,390 jobs · $167,640
- 7. Architectural and Engineering Managers 1,850 jobs · $169,780
- 8. Natural Sciences Managers 1,640 jobs · $173,510
- 9. Physicians, All Other 1,190 jobs · $354,130
- 10. Human Resources Managers 1,080 jobs · $144,190
- 11. Dentists, General 1,000 jobs · $207,380
- 12. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 510 jobs · $162,800
- 13. Purchasing Managers 500 jobs · $139,050
- 14. General Internal Medicine Physicians 440 jobs · $291,060
- 15. Chief Executives 360 jobs · $286,050
- 16. Optometrists 240 jobs · $163,290
- 17. Pediatricians, General 220 jobs · $214,680
- 18. Statisticians 210 jobs · $152,880
Occupations Tracked
568
with wage data
Published-Row Mean
$69,781
employment-weighted, 544 complete rows
Top Salary
$354,130
Physicians, All Other
Cost of Living
98.2
2% below US avg
Highest Paying Jobs in Raleigh-Cary, NC
| # | Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $354,130 |
| 2 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $291,060 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $286,050 |
| 4 | Family Medicine Physicians | $218,830 |
| 5 | Pediatricians, General | $214,680 |
| 6 | Dentists, General | $207,380 |
| 7 | Podiatrists | $185,800 |
| 8 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $173,960 |
| 9 | Natural Sciences Managers | $173,510 |
| 10 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $169,780 |
| 11 | Psychiatrists | $168,880 |
| 12 | Marketing Managers | $167,640 |
| 13 | Sales Managers | $163,520 |
| 14 | Optometrists | $163,290 |
| 15 | Financial Managers | $163,130 |
| 16 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $162,800 |
| 17 | Nurse Anesthetists | $155,250 |
| 18 | Psychologists, All Other | $152,980 |
| 19 | Statisticians | $152,880 |
| 20 | Managers, All Other | $147,370 |
| 21 | Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other | $147,370 |
| 22 | Human Resources Managers | $144,190 |
| 23 | Information Security Analysts | $143,640 |
| 24 | Actuaries | $142,180 |
| 25 | Purchasing Managers | $139,050 |
Lowest Paying Jobs in Raleigh-Cary, NC
| Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $24,960 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | $27,380 |
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | $27,940 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $28,220 |
| Childcare Workers | $28,680 |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other | $29,000 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $29,080 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $29,150 |
| Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | $29,380 |
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | $29,390 |
Other BLS Wage Areas in NC
Other metropolitan or nonmetropolitan OEWS areas assigned to the same state. Cross-state pay and employment peers live in Nationwide similar metros below.
Nationwide metros with similar published-row mean pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside NC. Same-state wage areas above stay geographic; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on employment-weighted published-row mean wage ($69,781 here) and summed published employment.
Similar mean wage
Nearest other metros by employment-weighted published-row annual mean wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 100,000 summed published jobs), distinct from the mean-wage column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS employment-weighted published-row mean wage and summed occupation employment. Employment peers exclude metros already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct. Mean wage here is not a worker-level median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Raleigh-Cary, NC? ▼
Which published medians lead Raleigh-Cary, NC? ▼
What is the cost of living in Raleigh-Cary, NC? ▼
Where does BLS salary data for Raleigh-Cary, NC come from? ▼
Related federal data
What to do with this data
How to use Raleigh-Cary, NC wage figures in a real decision
- Physicians, All Other leads published medians in Raleigh-Cary, NC at $354,130/year; open the occupation for percentile bands and state rows. Physicians, All Other
- The employment-weighted published-row mean of $69,781 adjusts to about $71,091 on a national-price basis at BEA RPP 98.2. Salary vs cost of living
- Compare this metropolitan statistical area against the statewide occupation table for NC before treating one geography as the other. State wage page
BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period; small occupation-area cells can be suppressed, and figures are not employer offers.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation rows use BLS OEWS May 2025. The metro benchmark is WageDex's employment-weighted mean of published occupation means; where BEA RPP is available, the price-level figure divides that benchmark by the published area parity. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.