How much does a Software Engineer make in North Carolina?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $131,000 for Software Engineers in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $102,430 and the 75th-percentile is $158,940.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Software Engineer salary in North Carolina?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 94.4 for North Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $138,773 — what the $131,000 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $108,508 to $168,370.

Where does North Carolina rank for Software Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, North Carolina ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in North Carolina?

P10 to P90 spans $79,620 to $173,660. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does the BLS software engineer wage include FAANG total comp in North Carolina?

No — BLS OES captures W-2 base wages only. RSU vesting, sign-on bonuses, performance bonuses, and equity refreshes are not included. For senior tech-cluster roles in North Carolina, total comp can run 30-70% above the BLS-reported median once equity is added back. The Levels.fyi-style breakdowns on the parent occupation page show the gap.

Contractor vs W-2 software engineer in North Carolina — which pays more?

Hourly contractor rates in North Carolina typically run 25-50% above the salaried equivalent on a gross-hourly basis. The real comparison nets out self-employment tax (~15.3%), self-paid health insurance, lack of paid leave, and 401(k) match. Net-of-overhead, the gap narrows to roughly 10-20% in most North Carolina markets.

North Carolina Software Engineer Salary: BLS $131K Median, Real $139K (2026)

TL;DR

Software Engineers in North Carolina earn a BLS median of $131,000, with real take-home of $138,773 after BEA RPP adjustment.
State ranks #13 nationally on nominal wage, #5 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $7,773.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $79,620 · P25 $102,430 · P75 $158,940 · P90 $173,660.

Wage breakdown — North Carolina

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$79,620	$84,344
P25 (lower quartile)	$102,430	$108,508
P50 (median)	$131,000	$138,773
P75 (upper quartile)	$158,940	$168,370
P90 (top tier)	$173,660	$183,964
Mean	$131,780	$139,599
Employment	57,590 Software Engineers in North Carolina

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	North Carolina index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	94.4
Goods	96.8
Services	83.6
Rents	80.8

North Carolina sits below the national baseline (RPP 94.4), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 80.8.

After-tax take-home — North Carolina (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Software Engineer)	$131,000	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$20,258	15.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,026	4.25% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,022	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$95,695	73.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$101,373	÷ (94.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the North Carolina state-tax burden means for Software Engineer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $95,695 (73.0% of gross). After the 94.4 RPP, real take-home is $101,373.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $133,080 for Software Engineers with mean pay of $144,570 and total employment of 1,654,440. North Carolina sits at #13 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, North Carolina climbs 8 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Software Engineer make in North Carolina?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $131,000 for Software Engineers in North Carolina as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $102,430 and the 75th-percentile is $158,940.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Software Engineer salary in North Carolina?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 94.4 for North Carolina), the real-wage equivalent is $138,773 — what the $131,000 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $108,508 to $168,370.
Where does North Carolina rank for Software Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, North Carolina ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in North Carolina?: P10 to P90 spans $79,620 to $173,660. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does the BLS software engineer wage include FAANG total comp in North Carolina?: No — BLS OES captures W-2 base wages only. RSU vesting, sign-on bonuses, performance bonuses, and equity refreshes are not included. For senior tech-cluster roles in North Carolina, total comp can run 30-70% above the BLS-reported median once equity is added back. The Levels.fyi-style breakdowns on the parent occupation page show the gap.
Contractor vs W-2 software engineer in North Carolina — which pays more?: Hourly contractor rates in North Carolina typically run 25-50% above the salaried equivalent on a gross-hourly basis. The real comparison nets out self-employment tax (~15.3%), self-paid health insurance, lack of paid leave, and 401(k) match. Net-of-overhead, the gap narrows to roughly 10-20% in most North Carolina markets.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 15-1252, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how North Carolina Software Engineer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.