Machine Learning Researcher.
Raleigh.
$137,000
median salary, 3% below the national average
$94,000 to $181,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates Machine Learning Researcher pay in Raleigh at $137,000, within a range of $94,000 to $181,000. That is 3% below the national average. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Machine Learning Researcher in Raleigh, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $128,370 for Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221) in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan area, based on 280 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$128,370
25th percentile
$128,370
Median
$128,370
75th percentile
$162,910
90th percentile
$182,000
Workers surveyed
280
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221) rather than Machine Learning Researcher specifically. The Raleigh range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-1221Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $123,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$89,000
to $110,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$116,000
to $144,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$151,000
to $178,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$171,000
to $212,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $56,000 to the total package.
Base
$137,000
Equity
$34,000
Bonus
$14,000
Signing
$8,000
Estimated total: $193,000
How Raleigh compares.
Raleigh, NC
$137,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$141,000
Raleigh is $4,000 below
Machine Learning Researcher salary by city.
Salary by role in Raleigh.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Machine Learning Researcher roles in Raleigh, here is what you are walking into. 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. Publication record in top-tier venues like NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR is the strongest salary differentiator. Researchers with first-author papers at these conferences command 15 to 25% premiums. Industry labs at major tech firms pay significantly more than academic positions or smaller startups.
Research interns start at $45,000 to $65,000 for summer positions. Junior researchers earn $140,000 to $170,000, while senior researchers reach $200,000 to $280,000. Principal researchers and research directors at major labs can exceed $400,000 in base salary alone. 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. Total compensation at top labs often doubles base salary through equity grants and annual bonuses of 20 to 40%. Many positions include conference travel budgets, compute credits, and sabbatical programs for independent research. 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 $137,000, 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 Machine Learning Researchers in Raleigh runs from $94,000 to $181,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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- A Data Engineer in Raleigh earns $136,000 (1% less)
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Common questions.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Machine Learning Researcher Salary in Raleigh, NC." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/machine-learning-researcher/raleigh
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