Talent Maps / Raleigh / Electrical Engineers

Raleigh Electrical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What electrical engineers earn in Raleigh, which utilities, grid equipment makers and engineering firms employ them, and the generation and grid projects competing for them.

Hiring electrical 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 electrical engineers in the Raleigh-Cary metro area, with Research Triangle Park and Durham as a nearby submarket. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025) and are for the Raleigh-Cary metro. The demand picture uses utility, grid and company data published in 2025 and 2026. Our electrical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Raleigh controls, data center and mechanical talent maps.

$130,240Median electrical engineer pay in Raleigh, above the state and US mediansBLS, May 2025

$221,050+What the top 10% of Raleigh electrical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

$162,800Median electronics engineer pay in RaleighBLS, May 2025

1.6MDuke Energy Progress customers in central and eastern North CarolinaDuke Energy, August 2026

2,720 MWNew gas generation Duke is building in Person CountyThe Courier-Times, February 2026

150Jobs at Hitachi Energy’s planned power electronics center in CaryHitachi Energy, April 2026

Electrical engineer salaries in Raleigh

The median electrical engineer in metro Raleigh earns $130,240 a year, $20,110 more than the North Carolina median of $110,130 and $9,610 more than the national median of $120,630. Pay spreads widely: the top 10% earn $221,050 or more, about $36,750 above the national figure, while entry pay is slightly below it.

Annual pay percentile	Raleigh metro	North Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$73,380	$66,800	$76,550
25th percentile	$82,280	$79,370	$92,830
Median	$130,240	$110,130	$120,630
75th percentile	$169,310	$148,330	$152,950
90th percentile	$221,050	$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 $162,800 in Raleigh, against $130,220 nationally. Electrical and electronic engineering technicians earn a median of $72,640, ranging up to $106,120 at the 90th percentile. Electrical engineers in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro earn a median of $129,030. Compare our Charlotte and Atlanta electrical engineer talent maps.

Where Raleigh’s electrical engineers work

Duke Energy

Duke Energy Progress serves about 1.6 million customers in central and eastern North Carolina and the Asheville region. It owns 13,800 MW of capacity across North and South Carolina.

In August 2026 it reached a rate agreement that would raise rates an average of 3.4% a year over two years while it keeps building grid infrastructure. If regulators approve, new rates start January 1, 2027.

Grid equipment makers

Hitachi Energy is building a $10 million, 32,000-square-foot Power Electronics Center of Competence in Cary, due to open in fall 2026 with 150 jobs. It will work on STATCOMs, series compensation and synchronous condensers, and serve as the company’s global hub for grid cybersecurity.

Siemens Energy is expanding grid technology project execution, engineering and R&D in Raleigh as part of a $421 million North Carolina investment.

Semiconductors and power electronics

Wolfspeed, the Durham silicon carbide chipmaker, came out of bankruptcy in 2025. It has closed its Durham device factory, and its new Chatham County materials plant was finished but largely idle in early 2026.

NC State’s PowerAmerica institute works with chipmakers and the companies that use their chips to speed adoption of silicon carbide and gallium nitride power electronics.

Engineering firms and data centers

Raleigh-based Kimley-Horn added Columbia electrical engineering firm Belka Engineering in July 2026. Raleigh MEP firm Sigma Engineered Solutions merged with Salas O’Brien the same month.

A planned 250 MW data center near the Harris Nuclear Plant was withdrawn in March 2026. See our North Carolina data centers guide.

Where the talent sits: Raleigh submarkets

Cary and Morrisville

Grid equipmentTransmission

Hitachi Energy’s Cary center and Duke’s new substation and transmission line in Morrisville.

Raleigh

DesignGrid technology

Siemens Energy’s grid technology team, Kimley-Horn and MEP design firms, and NC State’s Centennial Campus.

Research Triangle Park and Durham

SemiconductorsTransmission

Wolfspeed’s headquarters and Duke’s Durham-Wake 500-kV reliability project, which upgrades more than 22 miles of line.

Southern Wake and New Hill

NuclearSolar

Duke’s Harris Nuclear Plant and its proposed Longleaf Solar Center in New Hill.

Johnston County

TransmissionManufacturing

Duke’s Clayton Industrial to Selma line upgrade and Novo Nordisk’s Clayton plants.

What’s driving demand for electrical engineers in Raleigh

Load growth. Duke expects load in the Carolinas to grow about 2% in 2026 and 4% to 5% a year from 2027 to 2030.
New generation. Duke’s two Person County gas units total 2,720 MW. The first is planned to be online by 2028 and the second by 2030.
Grid projects in Wake County. Duke’s Energizing Wake County program adds new lines, substations and energy storage. A separate project upgrades about 40 miles of transmission in Wake, Johnston and Wayne counties.
Grid equipment jobs. Hitachi Energy’s 150-job Cary center and Siemens Energy’s Raleigh expansion add engineering roles in power electronics and grid technology.
Large plants. Fujifilm, Amgen, Genentech and Novo Nordisk are building or expanding drug plants in Holly Springs and Clayton through 2031.

The talent pipeline

NC State University. Its ABET-accredited electrical engineering program had 564 students in fall 2022 and awarded 186 degrees in 2021–22. The department also offers a master’s in electric power systems engineering.
Research centers. NC State’s FREEDM Systems Center, an NSF engineering research center, works on the technology for a future renewable power grid and houses several power labs.
Wake Tech. Its 64-credit Electrical Systems Technology AAS covers PLCs, industrial motor controls and the National Electrical Code.
Licensing. The North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors issues PE licenses. Graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs need four years of progressive experience and a passing PE exam.
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.

What this means if you’re hiring

Raleigh pays above the state. The median is about $20,000 over North Carolina. Plan on the 75th percentile ($169,310) for experienced hires.
Charlotte engineers may move for pay. Charlotte electrical engineers earn a median of $103,360, so Raleigh offers can draw candidates from there.
Grid equipment makers are adding jobs. Hitachi Energy and Siemens Energy compete with Duke and engineering firms for power engineers.
Recruit from NC State. It awarded 186 electrical engineering degrees in 2021–22 and hosts the FREEDM and PowerAmerica power research programs.

Need electrical engineers in Raleigh?

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 Raleigh engineering recruiters page.

Hire electrical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do electrical engineers make in Raleigh?

The median electrical engineer salary in metro Raleigh is $130,240 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $82,280 and $169,310, and the top 10% earn $221,050 or more.

Who hires electrical engineers in Raleigh?

Duke Energy, Hitachi Energy, Siemens Energy, Wolfspeed, engineering firms such as Kimley-Horn and Sigma Engineered Solutions, and the drug plants in Holly Springs and Clayton.

Do electrical engineers earn more in Raleigh or Charlotte?

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

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