Aerospace Engineer.
Raleigh.
$114,000
median salary, 1% below the national average
$87,000 to $150,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
If you are evaluating a Aerospace Engineer offer in Raleigh, NC, here is the reality: $87,000 to $150,000, with $114,000 as the midpoint. 1% below the national average. Security clearance level and employer type drive the widest variance. Do not accept the first number.
Salary range
Tap to place your salary
How Raleigh compares
Raleigh, NC
$114,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$115,000
Raleigh is $1,000 below
What you should know
Here is what the Aerospace Engineer market actually looks like in Raleigh. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. Cisco, Red Hat, Epic Games, and numerous biotech firms drive strong demand for engineering, research, and product roles. The combination of top tier universities and moderate living costs creates an exceptionally favorable salary to expense ratio. Security clearance level and employer type drive the widest variance. Defense contractors pay 10 to 20% premiums for TS/SCI clearances. Specialization in propulsion, avionics, or spacecraft systems commands higher compensation than structural analysis. The growing commercial space sector is pushing salaries upward across all levels.
Junior aerospace engineers start at $88,000 to $100,000. Senior engineers reach $115,000 to $152,000 after six to eight years. Principal engineers and engineering directors earn $155,000 to $210,000, with chief engineers at major programs exceeding $230,000. In Raleigh, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Defense contractors offer 8 to 15% annual bonuses and retention bonuses of $10,000 to $30,000 for cleared engineers. Commercial space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin add equity packages. Many roles include relocation assistance and clearance processing support. And on the tax side: 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. When someone quotes you $114,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates. The range for Aerospace Engineers in Raleigh runs from $87,000 to $150,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Raleigh
Negotiating in Raleigh
Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates.