Software engineer salary in Charlotte, NC
Software engineers in the Charlotte metro earn a median of $135,920 a year. That is about the same as the US median, and 2.7% above it once you account for lower prices in Charlotte.
Median salary
$135,920
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$107,680 – $165,050
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$139,620
Charlotte prices: 2.7% below US average
H-1B median offer
$130,000
2,937 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in Charlotte earn more than $172,360 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $93,690.
10th percentile $93,690, 25th $107,680, 75th $165,050, 90th $172,360.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $112,424, 25th $112,424, 75th $145,000, 90th $160,000.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in Charlotte
Prices in Charlotte are 2.7% below the US average, which makes the median worth $139,620 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 2.4% less than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in Charlotte
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the Charlotte metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 8,120 | $176,840 |
| Software engineers | 20,820 | $135,920 |
| Network architects | 2,350 | $134,410 |
| Data scientists | 4,420 | $132,460 |
| Information security analysts | 2,640 | $131,440 |
| Database administrators | 550 | $113,890 |
| Computer systems analysts | 7,870 | $110,790 |
| Web developers | 510 | $101,980 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 1,070 | $94,290 |
| Network and systems administrators | 4,180 | $89,990 |
| Computer programmers | 670 | $84,720 |
| QA analysts and testers | 3,900 | $81,990 |
| IT support specialists | 5,250 | $60,220 |
What H-1B employers offer in Charlotte
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 2,937 H-1B applications for software engineers in the Charlotte metro, from 989 employers.
Median offer
$130,000
Middle half
$112,424 – $145,000
Employers
989
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 249
- Level II: 1,266
- Level III: 768
- Level IV (most experienced): 467
- Not stated: 187
These are salaries offered on approved applications, not salaries paid. Each application lists only its main work site.
Job outlook
+15.8%
The BLS expects over 267,000 more software developer jobs across the US from 2024 to 2034. Jobs overall are expected to grow 3.1%.
132 open tech jobs in Charlotte right now
From 36 companies. 13 were posted in the past week.
Sources and notes
- Salaries and job counts: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published May 15, 2026), Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro. The BLS counts software engineers as "Software Developers" (job code 15-1252).
- Cost of living: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- H-1B offers: US Department of Labor, H-1B application data, October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Approved H-1B applications with job code 15-1252 and a work site in one of the metro area's 11 counties.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.