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Technology Headhunters uses BLS OEWS data to answer this pay question. The median pay for Security Engineer in Raleigh-Cary, NC is $143,640 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $103,320 and $153,310 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1212).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1212, Information Security Analysts. BLS reports Information Security Analysts as a broader occupation. It does not separate Security Engineer, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1212. Other titles in our taxonomy map to it and show the same numbers. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation. They are not experience levels.
The Raleigh-Cary, NC median is $14,460 above the national median of $129,180 (11.2%).
Role median / all-occupation median2.76x$143,640 / $51,990
Location quotient (employment concentration)2.75Not a pay adjustment
Employment2,510BLS estimate
Security Engineer, Raleigh-Cary, NC
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$78,870
25th percentile
$103,320
Median
$143,640
75th percentile
$153,310
90th percentile
$168,050
Mean
$132,540
Security Engineer, North Carolina
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$77,150
25th percentile
$100,620
Median
$131,540
75th percentile
$154,770
90th percentile
$173,670
Mean
$130,990
Security Engineer, United States
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$75,090
25th percentile
$97,810
Median
$129,180
75th percentile
$163,500
90th percentile
$199,850
Mean
$132,510
A figure shown as "or more" is top-coded. BLS does not publish exact wages at or above $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour.
Relative pay is the role's annual median divided by the BLS all-occupations (SOC 00-0000) annual median for Raleigh-Cary, NC. Location quotient compares this occupation's share of local jobs with its national share. It measures concentration, not pay.
What these figures leave out for technology hires
BLS OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rate, guaranteed pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses, and cost-of-living allowances. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance and employer-paid benefits.
Our interpretation, not a BLS statement: the BLS definition does not name stock or equity grants, so we treat them as outside these figures and add nothing for them. If a technology offer leans on discretionary bonus or equity, we read the published figure as describing only the cash pay inside the BLS definition.
BLS definition: Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
May 2024 and May 2025 medians
Security Engineer, Raleigh-Cary, NC median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$115,990
May 2025
$143,640
The median moved up $27,650 (+23.8%), from $115,990 in May 2024 to $143,640 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.
What do these figures mean for Security Engineer in Raleigh?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Security Engineer in Raleigh. The Security Engineer comparison uses a $143,640 median for Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212) in Raleigh. That $143,640 point divides the published distribution for Security Engineer in Raleigh; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $143,640 for Security Engineer in Raleigh, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Security Engineer in Raleigh, the published middle band runs from $103,320 at P25 to $153,310 at P75. The middle-band width in this Security Engineer in Raleigh comparison is $49,990. The $103,320 and $153,310 markers for Security Engineer in Raleigh describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this Raleigh band for Security Engineer requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Security Engineer in Raleigh is $78,870 at P10, and the upper marker is $168,050 at P90. Those Security Engineer in Raleigh values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $168,050 marker for Security Engineer in Raleigh says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Security Engineer in Raleigh cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Security Engineer in Raleigh, the $143,640 area median compares with $129,180 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Security Engineer in Raleigh comparison is $14,460. Both Security Engineer in Raleigh comparison cells use SOC 15-1212, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Raleigh-national difference for Security Engineer is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Security Engineer in Raleigh are Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, with a $129,670 median for SOC 15-1212; Burlington, NC, with a $103,140 median for SOC 15-1212. These Security Engineer in Raleigh neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Security Engineer row with its own area label; a nearby metro is not a substitute estimate for an unpublished Raleigh cell.
A comparable May 2024 median is not available for this Security Engineer in Raleigh selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $143,640 May 2025 median for Security Engineer in Raleigh stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Security Engineer in Raleigh cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Raleigh area and SOC 15-1212 labels attached when sharing this Security Engineer in Raleigh result.
The published mean for Security Engineer in Raleigh is $132,540, alongside the $143,640 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Security Engineer in Raleigh is -$11,100. The mean and median for Security Engineer in Raleigh summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Security Engineer in Raleigh summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.
A complete Security Engineer in Raleigh offer needs terms the Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $143,640 Security Engineer in Raleigh comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Security Engineer in Raleigh; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Security Engineer in Raleigh, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $143,640 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Security Engineer in Raleigh is 2,510 for Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212). That Security Engineer in Raleigh estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Raleigh estimate for Security Engineer are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Security Engineer in Raleigh employment row to understand the occupation's reported presence, while keeping the search for an individual hire separate.
Which national industries report pay for Security Engineer in Raleigh?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212), selected for this Security Engineer in Raleigh discussion. These Security Engineer industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Raleigh.
National industry rows for Security Engineer in Raleigh, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Utility System Construction
237100
$168,580
140
Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction
237130
$168,580
Not published by BLS
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
237000
$166,610
Not published by BLS
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521000
$159,640
630
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521100
$159,640
630
Software Publishers
513200
$144,970
4,830
Questions about Security Engineer in Raleigh
Which occupation prices Security Engineer in Raleigh?
The Security Engineer in Raleigh figures use Information Security Analysts, SOC 15-1212. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Security Engineer opening in Raleigh.
Does the Security Engineer in Raleigh band price seniority?
The $103,320 to $153,310 band describes the published occupation distribution for Security Engineer in Raleigh. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Security Engineer in Raleigh.
Can I treat the May 2025 Security Engineer in Raleigh median as a complete offer?
The $143,640 wage cell for Security Engineer in Raleigh starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Security Engineer in Raleigh need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.