antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Nurse midwives
- Median annual wage: $111,440
- Median hourly wage: $53.58
- Total employment: 40 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Raleigh
Despite recession fears and falling consumer confidence, the job market in the United States has remained relatively stable in 2025 thus far. According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 177,000 new jobs were added in April, a slight decrease from the 185,000 new jobs added in the month before, but an extension of the country's 52-month streak of job growth. Unemployment rates also held relatively steady between April 2024 and April 2025, coming in at around 4%.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Americans have it easy in the workplace. A December 2024 Payscale report found that nearly half (47%) of business organizations struggle to balance fair pay practices with spend optimization, and 18% plan to reduce pay increases in 2025 as a result.
For context, median weekly earnings across all employees in the U.S. stood at $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025. This represents an increase of 4.8% from a year prior and exceeds the Consumer Price Index's 2.7% increase in the same time period. However, there's one caveat: Earnings go much further in some places than in others.
In fact, the very definition of a "high-paying" job varies by location, as well as other factors such as industry and benefits. Even a six-figure salary may be considered low-income in places with an unusually high cost of living. Meanwhile, technology, finance, and health care jobs lead in terms of salary, but benefits like remote work can make other lower-paying jobs more desirable.
Regardless, anyone seeking a high-paying job should start by looking at the numbers. Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Raleigh. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $111,660
- Median hourly wage: $53.69
- Total employment: 3,260 people (4.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $114,300
- Median hourly wage: $54.95
- Total employment: 3,490 people (4.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $114,400
- Median hourly wage: $55.00
- Total employment: 1,680 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $115,830
- Median hourly wage: $55.69
- Total employment: 380 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $115,990
- Median hourly wage: $55.77
- Total employment: 1,460 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Clinical and counseling psychologists
- Median annual wage: $117,060
- Median hourly wage: $56.28
- Total employment: 610 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $117,570
- Median hourly wage: $56.52
- Total employment: 510 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $119,380
- Median hourly wage: $57.39
- Total employment: 880 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $123,250
- Median hourly wage: $59.26
- Total employment: 280 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $124,490
- Median hourly wage: $59.85
- Total employment: Not available
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $124,980
- Median hourly wage: $60.09
- Total employment: 530 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $125,710
- Median hourly wage: $60.44
- Total employment: 1,300 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $127,160
- Median hourly wage: $61.14
- Total employment: 110 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $128,130
- Median hourly wage: $61.60
- Total employment: 4,340 people (6.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $128,540
- Median hourly wage: $61.80
- Total employment: 290 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $129,000
- Median hourly wage: $62.02
- Total employment: 660 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $129,130
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 170 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,200
- Median hourly wage: $62.12
- Total employment: 310 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,900
- Median hourly wage: $62.93
- Total employment: 1,590 people (2.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $130,950
- Median hourly wage: $62.96
- Total employment: 420 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Life scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $131,110
- Median hourly wage: $63.03
- Total employment: 300 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $131,320
- Median hourly wage: $63.14
- Total employment: 1,040 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $131,390
- Median hourly wage: $63.17
- Total employment: 12,290 people (16.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Engineering teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $132,460
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 490 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $132,880
- Median hourly wage: $63.88
- Total employment: 4,080 people (5.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Economics teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $133,600
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 70 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Lobanov // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Nuclear engineers
- Median annual wage: $135,040
- Median hourly wage: $64.93
- Total employment: 100 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $136,180
- Median hourly wage: $65.47
- Total employment: 60 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pheelings media // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Statisticians
- Median annual wage: $136,340
- Median hourly wage: $65.55
- Total employment: 330 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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dokurose // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $137,490
- Median hourly wage: $66.10
- Total employment: 3,330 people (4.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $139,170
- Median hourly wage: $66.91
- Total employment: 1,470 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $139,840
- Median hourly wage: $67.23
- Total employment: 1,100 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Psychologists, all other
- Median annual wage: $147,830
- Median hourly wage: $71.07
- Total employment: 40 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Optometrists
- Median annual wage: $153,730
- Median hourly wage: $73.91
- Total employment: 320 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $162,120
- Median hourly wage: $77.94
- Total employment: 3,300 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $163,820
- Median hourly wage: $78.76
- Total employment: 2,360 people (3.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $165,420
- Median hourly wage: $79.53
- Total employment: 1,510 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $166,250
- Median hourly wage: $79.93
- Total employment: 1,960 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $169,400
- Median hourly wage: $81.44
- Total employment: 5,860 people (8.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlurryMe // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other
- Median annual wage: $179,960
- Median hourly wage: $86.52
- Total employment: 190 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $182,020
- Median hourly wage: $87.51
- Total employment: 1,090 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Pediatricians, general
- Median annual wage: $200,290
- Median hourly wage: $96.30
- Total employment: 300 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlurryMe // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. General internal medicine physicians
- Median annual wage: $216,810
- Median hourly wage: $104.24
- Total employment: 210 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Psychiatrists
- Median annual wage: $232,120
- Median hourly wage: $111.59
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Obstetricians and gynecologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 440 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 230 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Komsan Loonprom // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Cardiologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: Not available
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 1,330 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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