Chief Data Officer.
Raleigh.
$257,000
median salary, 1% below the national average
$193,000 to $337,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
A Chief Data Officer in Raleigh earns a median of $257,000 in 2026. That is 1% below the national average. The range runs from $193,000 to $337,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Data maturity of the organization, regulatory complexity, and whether the CDO drives revenue versus compliance create wide pay variance.
Salary range
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How Raleigh compares
Raleigh, NC
$257,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$260,000
Raleigh is $3,000 below
What you should know
The Chief Data Officer landscape in Raleigh is not what most salary sites will tell you. 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. Data maturity of the organization, regulatory complexity, and whether the CDO drives revenue versus compliance create wide pay variance. CDOs at companies monetizing data assets or building AI-powered products earn significantly more than those focused primarily on governance and regulatory compliance activities.
Directors of data science or analytics earn $165,000 to $220,000. VPs of data advance to $210,000 to $280,000. CDOs at mid-market companies make $240,000 to $310,000. CDOs at large enterprises or data-intensive tech companies reach $320,000 to $400,000 with total comp of $500,000 to $1.2 million. 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. Annual bonuses of 20 to 35% of base tied to data quality metrics, AI initiative success, and compliance milestones are standard. Equity grants at tech companies add $150,000 to $600,000 in annualized value. Some CDOs negotiate dedicated data infrastructure budgets. 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 $257,000, 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 Chief Data Officers in Raleigh runs from $193,000 to $337,000. 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.