Network Engineer.
Raleigh.
$130,000
median salary, at the national average
$102,000 to $164,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Network Engineer salary in Raleigh is $130,000, right at the national average. Entry level starts near $102,000. Experienced professionals push past $164,000. 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 Network Engineer 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 $120,640 for Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan area, based on 2,190 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$74,540
25th percentile
$98,470
Median
$120,640
75th percentile
$142,260
90th percentile
$173,910
Workers surveyed
2,190
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) rather than Network Engineer 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 15-1241Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $117,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$85,000
to $104,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$111,000
to $137,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$143,000
to $169,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$163,000
to $202,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$130,000
Equity
$17,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $161,000
How Raleigh compares.
Raleigh, NC
$130,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$130,000
Same as local rate
Network Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Raleigh.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Network Engineer 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. CCIE certification remains the single largest salary differentiator, adding 20 to 30% to base pay. Engineers managing SD-WAN rollouts, hybrid cloud networking, or large-scale data center fabrics command premium rates. Telecom and financial services sectors consistently offer the highest compensation for network specialists.
Help desk and NOC technicians start at $50,000 to $65,000, advancing to network engineer at $78,000 to $135,000 in three to five years. Senior network architects earn $140,000 to $180,000, and director of network engineering roles reach $185,000 to $240,000. 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. Bonuses of 8 to 15% are standard, with on-call stipends adding $5,000 to $12,000 annually. Employers frequently cover CCIE lab fees and ongoing Cisco or Juniper certification renewals as part of retention packages. 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 $130,000, 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 Network Engineers in Raleigh runs from $102,000 to $164,000. 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 Machine Learning Engineer in Raleigh earns $129,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Raleigh is CTO at $291,000
Common questions.
Network Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Raleigh.
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"Network Engineer Salary in Raleigh, NC." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/network-engineer/raleigh
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