This is what we do all day: recruit technology and IT professionals.
Technology Headhunters uses BLS OEWS data to answer this pay question. The median pay for Systems Administrator in Raleigh-Cary, NC is $103,380 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $80,570 and $132,490 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1244).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1244, Network and Computer Systems Administrators. BLS reports Network and Computer Systems Administrators as a broader occupation. It does not separate Systems Administrator, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1244. 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 $4,250 above the national median of $99,130 (4.3%).
Role median / all-occupation median1.99x$103,380 / $51,990
Location quotient (employment concentration)1.82Not a pay adjustment
Employment2,730BLS estimate
Systems Administrator, Raleigh-Cary, NC
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$60,650
25th percentile
$80,570
Median
$103,380
75th percentile
$132,490
90th percentile
$161,220
Mean
$107,070
Systems Administrator, North Carolina
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$50,680
25th percentile
$72,090
Median
$95,230
75th percentile
$124,100
90th percentile
$149,650
Mean
$97,580
Systems Administrator, United States
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$62,640
25th percentile
$78,010
Median
$99,130
75th percentile
$126,640
90th percentile
$155,050
Mean
$103,680
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
Systems Administrator, Raleigh-Cary, NC median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$100,470
May 2025
$103,380
The median moved up $2,910 (+2.9%), from $100,470 in May 2024 to $103,380 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 Systems Administrator in Raleigh?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Systems Administrator in Raleigh. The Systems Administrator comparison uses a $103,380 median for Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244) in Raleigh. That $103,380 point divides the published distribution for Systems Administrator in Raleigh; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $103,380 for Systems Administrator in Raleigh, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Systems Administrator in Raleigh, the published middle band runs from $80,570 at P25 to $132,490 at P75. The middle-band width in this Systems Administrator in Raleigh comparison is $51,920. The $80,570 and $132,490 markers for Systems Administrator in Raleigh describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this Raleigh band for Systems Administrator requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Systems Administrator in Raleigh is $60,650 at P10, and the upper marker is $161,220 at P90. Those Systems Administrator in Raleigh values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $161,220 marker for Systems Administrator in Raleigh says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Systems Administrator in Raleigh cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Systems Administrator in Raleigh, the $103,380 area median compares with $99,130 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Systems Administrator in Raleigh comparison is $4,250. Both Systems Administrator in Raleigh comparison cells use SOC 15-1244, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Raleigh-national difference for Systems Administrator is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Systems Administrator in Raleigh are Goldsboro, NC, with a $80,880 median for SOC 15-1244; Rocky Mount, NC, with a $88,790 median for SOC 15-1244. These Systems Administrator in Raleigh neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Systems Administrator 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 Systems Administrator in Raleigh selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $103,380 May 2025 median for Systems Administrator in Raleigh stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Systems Administrator in Raleigh cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Raleigh area and SOC 15-1244 labels attached when sharing this Systems Administrator in Raleigh result.
The published mean for Systems Administrator in Raleigh is $107,070, alongside the $103,380 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Systems Administrator in Raleigh is $3,690. The mean and median for Systems Administrator in Raleigh summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Systems Administrator in Raleigh summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.
A complete Systems Administrator in Raleigh offer needs terms the Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $103,380 Systems Administrator in Raleigh comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Systems Administrator in Raleigh; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Systems Administrator in Raleigh, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $103,380 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Systems Administrator in Raleigh is 2,730 for Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244). That Systems Administrator in Raleigh estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Raleigh estimate for Systems Administrator are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Systems Administrator 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 Systems Administrator in Raleigh?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244), selected for this Systems Administrator in Raleigh discussion. These Systems Administrator industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Raleigh.
National industry rows for Systems Administrator in Raleigh, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Other Investment Pools and Funds
525900
$152,460
60
Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors
238110
$139,970
Not published by BLS
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521000
$127,530
300
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521100
$127,530
300
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles
525000
$117,910
150
Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds
525100
$116,750
90
Questions about Systems Administrator in Raleigh
Which occupation prices Systems Administrator in Raleigh?
The Systems Administrator in Raleigh figures use Network and Computer Systems Administrators, SOC 15-1244. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Systems Administrator opening in Raleigh.
Does the Systems Administrator in Raleigh band price seniority?
The $80,570 to $132,490 band describes the published occupation distribution for Systems Administrator in Raleigh. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Systems Administrator in Raleigh.
Can I treat the May 2025 Systems Administrator in Raleigh median as a complete offer?
The $103,380 wage cell for Systems Administrator in Raleigh starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Systems Administrator in Raleigh need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.