Talent Maps / Charlotte / Electrical Engineers

Charlotte Electrical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What electrical engineers earn in Charlotte, which utilities, grid equipment makers and research labs employ them, and the generation and transformer build-out competing for them.

Hiring electrical engineers in Charlotte?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers electrical engineers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses utility, grid and company data published in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Our electrical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Charlotte controls, data center and mechanical talent maps.

$103,360Median electrical engineer pay in CharlotteBLS, May 2025

$213,210+What the top 10% of Charlotte electrical engineers earn, above the US and state figuresBLS, May 2025

$103BDuke Energy five-year capital planUtility Dive, February 2026

14 GWNew generation Duke Energy plans to add over the next five yearsUtility Dive, February 2026

425Workers Siemens Energy plans to employ at its Charlotte transformer plant by early 2028Charlotte Business Journal, February 2026

420Projected electrical engineering job openings a year in North Carolina through 2034Projections Central

Electrical engineer salaries in Charlotte

The median electrical engineer in metro Charlotte earns $103,360 a year, $6,770 less than the North Carolina median of $110,130 and $17,270 less than the national median of $120,630. Pay spreads widely: the top 10% earn $213,210 or more, about $28,900 above the national figure.

Annual pay percentile	Charlotte metro	North Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$65,140	$66,800	$76,550
25th percentile	$77,650	$79,370	$92,830
Median	$103,360	$110,130	$120,630
75th percentile	$137,850	$148,330	$152,950
90th percentile	$213,210	$203,490	$184,300

Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Electronics engineers earn a median of $107,630 in Charlotte, and electrical and electronic engineering technicians $74,760, ranging up to $107,350 at the 90th percentile. Dallas-Fort Worth’s median is $124,390; compare it in our Dallas-Fort Worth electrical engineer talent map.

Where Charlotte’s electrical engineers work

Duke Energy

Charlotte-based Duke Energy serves 8.7 million electric customers in six states. Duke Energy Carolinas serves about 2.9 million customers across western North Carolina and the South Carolina Upstate.

Duke says it is spending more than $1 billion a month on capital work. It has 4.5 GW of signed data center service agreements and a pipeline of more than 9 GW.

Grid equipment

Siemens Energy is building its first US large power transformer factory in Charlotte. It had hired 115 workers by February 2026 and plans to employ 425 by early 2028, with the plant set to open in June 2027.

The new Mecklenburg County jobs announced in 2024 carry an average salary of $87,036.

Research

EPRI’s Charlotte campus has 107,600 square feet of labs covering T&D component aging and testing, T&D sensor development, electromagnetic pulse, nondestructive evaluation and materials testing.

UNC Charlotte’s School of Energy received donated equipment from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in 2025 to train students on technology used in the energy industry.

City-owned utilities

Concord Electric Systems, one of 76 municipal electric utilities in North Carolina, has more than 34,000 accounts, 1,763 miles of line and a 214 MW summer peak.

Monroe’s Energy Services department posted a substation engineer role in 2026 that oversees protection and SCADA controls.

Where the talent sits: Charlotte submarkets

Uptown Charlotte

UtilitiesHeadquarters

Duke Energy’s corporate headquarters.

Steele Creek and Westinghouse Boulevard

TransformersGenerators

Siemens Energy’s transformer factory and generator operations.

University City

ResearchUniversity

EPRI’s Charlotte labs and UNC Charlotte.

Lake Norman and York County

Nuclear

Duke Energy’s McGuire and Catawba nuclear stations.

Concord and Monroe

Public power

City-owned electric utilities in Cabarrus and Union counties.

What’s driving demand for electrical engineers in Charlotte

Generation and storage. Duke plans 14 GW of new generation and 4.5 GW of battery storage over five years, and has broken ground on 5 GW of new gas generation in the Carolinas and Indiana.
Nuclear. Duke is preparing power uprates at McGuire and Catawba. Its 2026 Carolinas resource plan shows a need for 11 GW of new nuclear over the planning horizon.
Transformers. Siemens Energy’s $421 million North Carolina expansion enlarges its Charlotte transformer factory and adds service capacity.
Data centers on pause in the city. Charlotte City Council approved a 150-day moratorium on data centers on June 8, 2026, and set an October 12 public hearing on extending it. See our North Carolina data centers guide.

The talent pipeline

UNC Charlotte. Its BS in electrical engineering is ABET accredited, with study areas that include smart energy and robotics.
UNC Charlotte School of Energy. Its BS in electromechanical engineering technology is ABET accredited and focuses on power systems.
Central Piedmont Community College. Its mechatronics engineering technology degree trains the technicians who support plant electrical and controls teams.
Growth. North Carolina is projected to grow from 6,720 electrical engineers in 2024 to 7,270 in 2034, with about 420 openings a year.
Licensing. PE licenses are issued by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.

What this means if you’re hiring

Pay is below the state. Charlotte’s median is about $6,800 under North Carolina and $26,900 under Raleigh. Plan on the 75th percentile ($137,850) for experienced hires.
Senior pay runs high. The 90th percentile is $213,210, above both the state and national figures, so senior power engineers cost more than the median suggests.
Duke and Siemens Energy compete for the same people. Duke’s capital plan and the new transformer plant both need power, protection and equipment engineers.
Public employers post pay. Monroe posted its substation engineer role at $74,834 to $99,921, with an EIT or PE required.

Need electrical engineers in Charlotte?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place power, controls, plant electrical and design engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 919.710.8098 or see our Charlotte engineering recruiters page.

Hire electrical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do electrical engineers make in Charlotte?

The median electrical engineer salary in metro Charlotte is $103,360 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $77,650 and $137,850, and the top 10% earn $213,210 or more.

Who hires electrical engineers in Charlotte?

Duke Energy, Siemens Energy, EPRI, Concord Electric Systems and Monroe Energy Services, along with the region’s manufacturers and data center builders.

Do electrical engineers earn more in Charlotte or Raleigh?

Raleigh pays more. The Charlotte median is $103,360, compared with $130,240 in metro Raleigh, a gap of $26,880, based on May 2025 BLS data. See our Raleigh electrical engineer talent map.

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