Raleigh project manager salary: rankings and context
After a simplified 13% national tax estimate that is about US$7,400 a month, in a metro with a cost-of-living index of 100.
Project Manager pay in Raleigh: national and in-state ranking
Directly above Raleigh is Austin (US$102,390); directly below is Phoenix (US$100,780). The full range runs from US$92,130 in San Antonio to US$135,120 in San Jose.
With Raleigh as the sole NC entry for project managers, the useful benchmarks are national: 15th of 21, 0% vs the median.
What the Raleigh median is worth after tax and rent
With a COL index of 100, there is little difference between headline pay and price-adjusted pay (US$102,300).
Adjusting for prices does not move Raleigh in the ranking: it is 15th of 21 on both cash and buying power.
Take-home on the median comes to roughly US$7,400 monthly (13% effective tax in our simplified model). Rent for a modeled 1-bedroom is 22% of it, and the single-adult budget ends about US$3,880 in the black.
If you compared Raleigh with similarly priced cities
A project manager moving from Raleigh to New York (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 24% to US$126,660, with US$1,580 more left over monthly in our model.
Los Angeles (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$108,310, 6% more than Raleigh; modeled monthly leftover is US$400 higher.
In Chicago — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$105,320 (+3% vs Raleigh), and the modeled budget leaves US$200 more each month.
Other Raleigh jobs compared with project manager
Software Engineer is the best-paid tracked role in Raleigh at US$132,770; project manager comes 4th of 9.
Closest neighbours in the Raleigh list: Data Scientist at US$120,710 (+18%) and Mechanical Engineer at US$100,000 (-2%).
How Raleigh ranks at the low and high end
Raleigh is relatively stronger at the entry end: its 10th-percentile pay (US$65,380) ranks 12th of 21, while its 90th percentile (US$166,970) ranks 14th.
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$212,340 at the 90th percentile, +27% against Raleigh.
Spread between low and high project manager pay in Raleigh
Expect wide variation between offers: the 10th percentile is US$65,380 and the 90th US$166,970, a 2.6× ratio.