Talent Maps / Raleigh / Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers

Raleigh Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What industrial and manufacturing engineers earn in Raleigh, which plants employ them, where they work and the drug and biomanufacturing build-out competing for them.

Hiring manufacturing engineers in Raleigh?

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 industrial and manufacturing engineers in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and the wider Research Triangle, where new drug and biomanufacturing plants in Holly Springs, Clayton and Durham all hire from the same pool. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses company, BLS and state data published from 2024 to 2026. Our engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Raleigh mechanical, controls and aerospace talent maps.

$104,030Median industrial engineer pay in RaleighBLS, May 2025

$130,120Median industrial production manager pay in RaleighBLS, May 2025

35,200Manufacturing jobs in metro Raleigh, down 1.4% from a year earlierBLS, August 2026 (preliminary)

$3.2BFujifilm’s Holly Springs biomanufacturing site, planned for 1,400 jobs by 2031Manufacturing.net, September 2025

$2BGenentech’s Holly Springs plant, which topped out in August 2026Genentech, August 2026

835Projected industrial engineering job openings a year in North CarolinaNCcareers.org

Industrial engineer salaries in Raleigh

The median industrial engineer in metro Raleigh earns $104,030 a year, about $1,590 more than the national median of $102,440 and $4,720 more than the North Carolina median of $99,310. The top of the range is lower: Raleigh’s highest-paid 10% earn $152,010 or more, about $7,850 below the national figure but well above the state’s.

Annual pay percentile	Raleigh metro	North Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$78,470	$68,930	$74,370
25th percentile	$83,240	$81,190	$83,600
Median	$104,030	$99,310	$102,440
75th percentile	$130,220	$121,090	$129,250
90th percentile	$152,010	$139,110	$159,860

Industrial Engineers (SOC 17-2112), which includes most manufacturing engineers. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.

Industrial production managers in Raleigh earn a median of $130,120, and the top 10% earn $215,140 or more. Durham-Chapel Hill, home to Research Triangle Park, pays industrial engineers a median of $102,890. Read our guide on how to hire a manufacturing engineer.

Where Raleigh’s industrial and manufacturing engineers work

Biomanufacturing in Holly Springs

Fujifilm opened the first phase of its $3.2 billion site in September 2025 with eight 20,000-liter bioreactors and more than 680 workers. Amgen opened its first drug substance plant in January 2025 and broke ground on a $1 billion second plant, for more than 700 jobs by 2030.

Genentech’s $2 billion plant is due to be operational by the end of 2029, with more than 500 manufacturing roles.

Pharmaceuticals in Johnston County and Durham

Novo Nordisk, with about 2,500 North Carolina employees, is building a $4.1 billion, 1.4 million square foot fill-finish plant in Clayton that is planned for 1,000 jobs.

AbbVie plans a $1.4 billion, 185-acre campus in Durham with 734 permanent jobs over four years, due for completion at the end of 2028.

Biologics east of Raleigh

Johnson & Johnson is building a $2 billion biologics campus in Wilson with 420 jobs and announced a second Wilson plant with up to 500 jobs in January 2026. It also secured a 160,000 square foot site in Holly Springs for 120 jobs.

Energy equipment and semiconductors

Siemens Energy is expanding grid technology project execution, research and development in Raleigh as part of a $421 million North Carolina investment.

Wolfspeed, based in Durham, closed its 150-millimeter device factory there, and its Siler City materials plant is finished but largely idle.

Where the talent sits: Raleigh submarkets

Holly Springs

BiomanufacturingNew plants

Fujifilm, Amgen and Genentech, plus Johnson & Johnson’s new site.

Clayton and Johnston County

PharmaceuticalsFill-finish

Novo Nordisk’s existing plants and its $4.1 billion expansion.

Durham and RTP

PharmaceuticalsSemiconductors

AbbVie’s planned campus, Novo Nordisk’s Durham plant and Wolfspeed’s headquarters.

Wilson

Biologics

Johnson & Johnson’s two plants and the BEST Center training site at Wilson Community College.

Chatham County

EVStalled

VinFast’s Moncure megasite, now in a legal dispute, and Wolfspeed’s Siler City plant.

What’s driving demand for industrial engineers in Raleigh

Biomanufacturing. Fujifilm plans a second phase that doubles its capacity to 16 bioreactors, and Amgen expects to complete its second plant investment by the end of 2029.
Weight-loss and diabetes drugs. Genentech’s Holly Springs plant will make obesity treatments, and Novo Nordisk’s Clayton expansion will make injectable treatments for obesity and other chronic diseases.
New Durham campus. AbbVie’s campus will need about 2,000 construction workers and 734 permanent staff, including engineers.
Setbacks. North Carolina sued VinFast in May 2026 to take back its Chatham County site, and Chatham County ended its incentive deal in July. Novo Nordisk paused hiring in 2025 during a global restructuring.
A flat base. Metro Raleigh had about 35,200 manufacturing jobs in August 2026, down 1.4% from a year earlier, so new plants are drawing from existing staff.

The talent pipeline

NC State University. The Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering offers a BS in industrial engineering that has been ABET accredited since 1948.
BTEC. NC State’s Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center on Centennial Campus runs a simulated cGMP pilot plant in a 77,700 square foot building.
Wake Tech. Amgen launched an 18-month manufacturing apprenticeship with Wake Tech that does not require a bachelor’s degree.
Wilson Community College. An expected $12 million state appropriation will expand its training center to support Johnson & Johnson.
Growth. North Carolina is projected to grow from 11,470 industrial engineering jobs to 12,811, with about 835 openings a year.

What this means if you’re hiring

Raleigh pays above the state. The median is $4,720 above North Carolina’s. Plan on the 75th percentile ($130,220) for experienced engineers.
GMP experience is the currency. Fujifilm, Amgen, Genentech, Novo Nordisk and AbbVie are all staffing up between now and 2029, so validated, regulated plant experience will draw several offers.
Look at recent cuts. Wolfspeed reduced its workforce by about a third before its bankruptcy, and Novo Nordisk began cutting 9,000 jobs worldwide in 2025, putting experienced manufacturing staff on the market.
Build from technicians. BTEC graduates and apprentices can grow into process and manufacturing engineering roles.

Need manufacturing engineers in Raleigh?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place industrial, manufacturing, process and quality engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 919.710.8098 or see our Raleigh engineering recruiters page.

Hire manufacturing engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do industrial engineers make in Raleigh?

The median industrial engineer salary in metro Raleigh is $104,030 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $83,240 and $130,220, and the top 10% earn $152,010 or more.

Do industrial engineers earn more in Raleigh or Charlotte?

Raleigh pays a little more. Raleigh’s median is $104,030, about $1,940 above Charlotte’s $102,090, and Raleigh’s top 10% earn $152,010 or more against $140,000 in Charlotte. See our Charlotte industrial engineer talent map.

Which new plants are hiring in the Raleigh area?

The largest are Fujifilm, Amgen and Genentech in Holly Springs, Novo Nordisk’s expansion in Clayton, AbbVie’s planned campus in Durham and Johnson & Johnson’s plants in Wilson.

Sources (18)