Software Developers salary in North Carolina

The median Software Developer in North Carolina earned $131,000 in 2024, about 5.4% below the US median of $138,520. That gap is smaller than it first looks once you factor in cost of living. North Carolina's price index sits at 95, meaning a dollar goes a bit further here than in most states. Adjusted for that, the real purchasing gap with the national figure shrinks to nearly nothing.

The spread between earners tells a more interesting story. A developer at the 10th percentile earned $79,620. One at the 90th earned $173,660. That range of roughly $94,000 reflects how much experience, specialization, and the specific employer matter in this field. Entry-level roles and senior positions are effectively different jobs in terms of pay, even within the same state.

The mean annual wage of $131,780 sits only $780 above the median. In many high-paying technical occupations, a smaller group of very high earners pulls the average well above the midpoint. Here the two figures are nearly identical, which suggests North Carolina's wage distribution is relatively even across the middle. There are fewer extreme outliers at the top than you might see in California or Washington.

On the employment side, 57,590 Software Developers were working in North Carolina as of 2024, making it one of the larger state-level concentrations in the country. BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 15.8% between 2024 and 2034, a pace it classifies as much faster than average. That growth rate applies nationally, not to North Carolina specifically, but the state's Research Triangle has historically tracked close to national trends for this role.