SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-1063 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Economics Teachers, Postsecondary — Raleigh

Raleigh-Cary, NC · 1 metro areas compared

$137,420 /year
70jobs in area
+10.9%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Raleigh, NC comes to $137,420 a year, ahead of the national median of $123,920 by 10.9%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $123,92010TH$108,640MEDIAN$137,42075TH$179,80090TH$222,620

How pay has moved

$153,148$58,7832019202320242025$137,420
$74,510 in 2019 to $137,420 in 2025, +84.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.1%
Openings per year
1,200
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Raleigh-Cary, NC.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Raleigh, NC comes to $137,420 a year, ahead of the national median of $123,920 by 10.9%. Pay ranges from under $108,640 at the tenth percentile to more than $222,620 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $137,420 to $179,800.

The area has 70 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.23 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Charlotte records the highest median at $96,790. Of the 571 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 29th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Raleigh-Cary, NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$108,640−12.3%
25th$137,420+10.9%
Median (50th)$137,420+10.9%
75th$179,800+45.1%
90th$222,620+79.6%
Mean$156,620+26.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Median annual wage for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Charlotte$96,79070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Raleigh sit close to the national average, so $137,420 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$137,420as reported by BLS

Local price level

98.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$139,939US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $137,420 a year, 10.9% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $108,640 to $222,620 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 70 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Charlotte, at $96,790.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary in Raleigh, NC?

The median annual wage is $137,420, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $123,920, so pay in Raleigh, NC is 10.9% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Raleigh, NC earns more than $222,620 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $108,640 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Charlotte, at $96,790 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 70 jobs in this occupation in Raleigh, NC. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.