Salaries in North Carolina.
2 metro areas. 3445 roles.
Average cost-of-living index: 0.98x national average. Last updated April 2026.
2 cities tracked3445 roles
Highest Paying
$353,000
Principal Quantitative Researcher
Median Role
$312,000
Principal Deep Learning Engineer
Entry Level
$301,000
Principal AI Engineer
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
North Carolina has 2 major metro areas tracked in our salary database, with an average cost-of-living index of 0.98x the national average. The highest-paying role across the state is Principal Quantitative Researcher at $353,000 in Raleigh. The median role pays $312,000.
Metro areas in North Carolina
Top 30 salaries in North Carolina
| # | Role | Median | Top City | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $353,000 | Raleigh | $276,000 – $459,000 |
| 2 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $347,000 | Raleigh | $270,000 – $450,000 |
| 3 | Technical Fellow | $346,000 | Charlotte | $270,000 – $450,000 |
| 4 | Senior VP of Product | $336,000 | Raleigh | $263,000 – $437,000 |
| 5 | Chief Security Officer | $330,000 | Charlotte | $257,000 – $429,000 |
| 6 | Distinguished Engineer | $327,000 | Charlotte | $247,000 – $416,000 |
| 7 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $324,000 | Raleigh | $253,000 – $422,000 |
| 8 | Senior VP of Security | $323,000 | Charlotte | $252,000 – $420,000 |
| 9 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $321,000 | Raleigh | $250,000 – $417,000 |
| 10 | SVP of Technology | $321,000 | Raleigh | $251,000 – $418,000 |
| 11 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $318,000 | Raleigh | $248,000 – $413,000 |
| 12 | Chief AI Officer | $316,000 | Raleigh | $235,000 – $408,000 |
| 13 | Principal Cryptographer | $315,000 | Raleigh | $246,000 – $410,000 |
| 14 | SVP of Engineering | $313,000 | Raleigh | $244,000 – $407,000 |
| 15 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $313,000 | Raleigh | $244,000 – $407,000 |
| 16 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $312,000 | Raleigh | $244,000 – $406,000 |
| 17 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $312,000 | Raleigh | $244,000 – $406,000 |
| 18 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $309,000 | Raleigh | $241,000 – $402,000 |
| 19 | Principal LLM Engineer | $307,000 | Raleigh | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 20 | Chief Science Officer | $307,000 | Raleigh | $240,000 – $399,000 |
| 21 | L7 Software Engineer | $307,000 | Raleigh | $240,000 – $399,000 |
| 22 | Lead High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $306,000 | Raleigh | $239,000 – $397,000 |
| 23 | Chief Architect | $306,000 | Raleigh | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 24 | Principal Computer Vision Engineer | $304,000 | Raleigh | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 25 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $304,000 | Raleigh | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 26 | SVP of Product | $304,000 | Charlotte | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 27 | SVP of Data | $304,000 | Raleigh | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 28 | CTO | $303,000 | Charlotte | $236,000 – $393,000 |
| 29 | SVP of Strategy | $303,000 | Raleigh | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 30 | Principal AI Engineer | $301,000 | Raleigh | $234,000 – $391,000 |
Tax considerations in North Carolina
North Carolina has a flat 4.5% state income tax. Charlotte has no city income tax. The moderate rate combined with low living costs makes net compensation very attractive.
North Carolina's flat 4.5% income tax keeps the burden low. Raleigh has no city income tax, and the Triangle's affordable housing amplifies your take home purchasing power.
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