High paying tech and IT jobs in North Carolina

Every tech and IT occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in North Carolina. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single tech and IT job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in North Carolina run 5.7% below the national average (2024), so a North Carolina salary is worth about 1.06× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in North Carolina.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find tech jobs in North Carolina

OccupationMedian, North Carolina · Employed

1Computer and Information Systems Managers$172,860
Bachelor's degree
$108,280 – $287,84025,650
2Software Developers$134,710
Bachelor's degree
$83,840 – $179,31058,470
3Database Architects$134,630
Bachelor's degree
$81,230 – $178,3804,070
4Information Security Analysts$131,540
Bachelor's degree
$77,150 – $173,6708,670
5Computer Network Architects$127,320
Bachelor's degree
$79,120 – $173,4108,350
6Data Scientists$119,090
Bachelor's degree
$65,970 – $172,83011,430
7Database Administrators$113,900
Bachelor's degree
$62,430 – $160,1601,920
8Computer Systems Analysts$106,850
Bachelor's degree
$73,190 – $166,66020,910
9Computer Occupations, All Other$104,850
Bachelor's degree
$39,190 – $175,66015,090
10Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers$100,390
Bachelor's degree
$61,190 – $148,7108,890
11Web and Digital Interface Designers$97,990
Bachelor's degree
$44,530 – $163,8503,400
12Operations Research Analysts$97,290
Bachelor's degree
$60,180 – $130,9802,520
13Web Developers$96,610
Bachelor's degree
$54,450 – $140,5502,030
14Network and Computer Systems Administrators$95,230
Bachelor's degree
$50,680 – $149,65013,850
15Computer Programmers$81,070
Bachelor's degree
$26,170 – $134,7804,120
16Computer User Support Specialists$60,120
Some college, no degree
$38,270 – $97,21023,100

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianNorth Carolina	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Computer and Information Systems ManagersBachelor's degree	$172,860	$108,280 – $287,840	25,650
2	Software DevelopersBachelor's degree	$134,710	$83,840 – $179,310	58,470
3	Database ArchitectsBachelor's degree	$134,630	$81,230 – $178,380	4,070
4	Information Security AnalystsBachelor's degree	$131,540	$77,150 – $173,670	8,670
5	Computer Network ArchitectsBachelor's degree	$127,320	$79,120 – $173,410	8,350
6	Data ScientistsBachelor's degree	$119,090	$65,970 – $172,830	11,430
7	Database AdministratorsBachelor's degree	$113,900	$62,430 – $160,160	1,920
8	Computer Systems AnalystsBachelor's degree	$106,850	$73,190 – $166,660	20,910
9	Computer Occupations, All OtherBachelor's degree	$104,850	$39,190 – $175,660	15,090
10	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and TestersBachelor's degree	$100,390	$61,190 – $148,710	8,890
11	Web and Digital Interface DesignersBachelor's degree	$97,990	$44,530 – $163,850	3,400
12	Operations Research AnalystsBachelor's degree	$97,290	$60,180 – $130,980	2,520
13	Web DevelopersBachelor's degree	$96,610	$54,450 – $140,550	2,030
14	Network and Computer Systems AdministratorsBachelor's degree	$95,230	$50,680 – $149,650	13,850
15	Computer ProgrammersBachelor's degree	$81,070	$26,170 – $134,780	4,120
16	Computer User Support SpecialistsSome college, no degree	$60,120	$38,270 – $97,210	23,100

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in North Carolina. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for North Carolina

Metro areas in North Carolina

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in North Carolina

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in North Carolina to rank honestly.

High paying tech and IT jobs in North Carolina

More for North Carolina

Metro areas in North Carolina

By field in North Carolina

Without a degree

High paying tech and IT jobs in each state