Marketing Manager.
Raleigh.
$97,000
median salary, 2% above the national average
$73,000 to $127,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Marketing Manager salary in Raleigh is $97,000, 2% above the national average. Entry level starts near $73,000. Experienced professionals push past $127,000. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. That spread is your negotiation window. 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 Marketing Manager 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 $167,640 for Marketing Managers (SOC 11-2021) in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan area, based on 2,390 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$102,970
25th percentile
$129,860
Median
$167,640
75th percentile
$213,930
90th percentile
$277,320
Workers surveyed
2,390
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $97,000 is 42% lower than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Marketing Managers covers a different population than the Marketing Manager title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Marketing Managers (SOC 11-2021) rather than Marketing Manager 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 11-2021Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $87,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$63,000
to $78,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$82,000
to $102,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$107,000
to $126,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$121,000
to $150,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $23,000 to the total package.
Base
$97,000
Equity
$13,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $120,000
How Raleigh compares.
Raleigh, NC
$97,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$95,000
Raleigh is $2,000 above
Marketing Manager salary by city.
Salary by role in Raleigh.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Marketing Manager offer in Raleigh, understand the terrain. 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. Specialization matters enormously. Performance marketing managers with proven ROI on paid channels earn more than brand marketers. Industry vertical (B2B SaaS vs. consumer packaged goods), team size, and budget ownership are the other major factors. Managers who control seven figure budgets are compensated accordingly.
Marketing coordinators start at $50,000 to $65,000, advancing to marketing manager at $85,000 to $120,000 in three to five years. Senior marketing managers earn $120,000 to $155,000. Directors reach $155,000 to $200,000, and VPs of Marketing at mid to large companies can exceed $250,000 in total compensation. 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. Bonuses of 10 to 20% tied to campaign performance or revenue targets are standard. Equity is less common outside tech companies but can add $10,000 to $40,000 at startups. Some firms offer profit sharing or commission structures for demand generation roles. 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 $97,000, 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 Marketing Managers in Raleigh runs from $73,000 to $127,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- A Systems Administrator in Raleigh earns $96,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Raleigh is CTO at $291,000
Common questions.
Marketing Manager salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Raleigh.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Marketing Manager Salary in Raleigh, NC." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/marketing-manager/raleigh
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