Average Electrical Engineer Salary in North Carolina

Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment, including electric motors, navigation systems, power generation equipment, and communications systems. They work across industries as diverse as defense, renewable energy, semiconductor design, automotive, and telecommunications. The breadth of the field spans from micro-scale integrated circuit design to utility-scale power grid systems, creating diverse career paths with strong salary potential. The national median annual salary is approximately $107,700, with power systems engineers, RF specialists, and those in defense/aerospace regularly exceeding $140,000.

In North Carolina, electrical engineers earn an average of $113,197 per year as of 2026, with salaries ranging from $73,010 for entry-level roles to $162,108 for the most experienced professionals — +0.2% below the national average. Pay is influenced most by specialization — power systems, rf/microwave, and semiconductor design command the highest premiums, industry sector — defense and aerospace, semiconductor, and energy pay significantly more than consumer electronics, and the specific metro area within North Carolina.