Registered Nurse.
Raleigh.
$89,000
median salary, 5% below the national average
$75,000 to $103,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates Registered Nurse pay in Raleigh at $89,000, within a range of $75,000 to $103,000. That is 5% 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 Registered Nurse 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 $84,830 for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan area, based on 12,780 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$72,460
25th percentile
$78,430
Median
$84,830
75th percentile
$104,040
90th percentile
$110,220
Workers surveyed
12,780
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) rather than Registered Nurse 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 29-1141Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $80,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$58,000
to $71,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$76,000
to $93,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$98,000
to $116,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$111,000
to $138,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $26,000 to the total package.
Base
$89,000
Equity
$15,000
Bonus
$9,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $115,000
How Raleigh compares.
Raleigh, NC
$89,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$94,000
Raleigh is $5,000 below
Registered Nurse salary by city.
Salary by role in Raleigh.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Registered Nurse 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. Specialty certification, geographic location, and facility type create the widest salary ranges. ICU, OR, and emergency nurses earn premiums over med surg nurses. Travel nursing contracts can pay 50 to 100% more than permanent positions. Union representation and shift differentials for nights and weekends also impact total pay.
New graduate RNs start at $58,000 to $72,000, with experienced RNs reaching $80,000 to $100,000 after five years. Nurse practitioners earn $110,000 to $140,000, and CRNAs (nurse anesthetists) can earn $180,000 to $220,000. Nursing management roles offer $95,000 to $140,000 with administrative responsibilities. 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. Benefits are a major component, typically including health insurance, pension or 403(b) matching, tuition reimbursement, and continuing education credits. Shift differentials add $3 to $8 per hour for nights and weekends. Signing bonuses of $5,000 to $20,000 are common in high demand specialties. 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 $89,000, 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 Registered Nurses in Raleigh runs from $75,000 to $103,000. 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 Financial Advisor in Raleigh earns $87,000 (2% less)
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Common questions.
Registered Nurse salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Raleigh.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Registered Nurse Salary in Raleigh, NC." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/registered-nurse/raleigh
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