25 of the Highest Paying Jobs in Raleigh, NC for 2026

The top jobs in the Raleigh area can pay up to $145,800 per year

High Paying Raleigh Jobs

• Nurse Practitioner

  Salary range: $105,000 - $145,800

  Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with additional responsibilities including prescribing medication, examining patients, diagnosing illnesses, and providing treatment, much as physicians do. Nurse practitioners are educated and trained to provide health care services, such as the diagnosis and treatment of acute illness and chronic conditions.

• Non Clinical Nurse Practitioner

  Salary range: $105,000 - $145,800

  As a non-clinical nurse practitioner, you provide health care to patients outside of a traditional clinical setting. You review scans and other information, report your activities to a senior nurse or doctor, and evaluate the recovery of each patient after a particular procedure. As part of this, you may perform a physical, mental, or emotional assessment for the patient. Despite the name, non-clinical nurse practitioners may work at a health care facility—this title mainly refers to the lack of direct interaction with patients in a clinical setting. It may involve direct interaction with them at their home or in other areas, or over the telephone.

• Interventional Radiology Nurse Practitioner

  Salary range: $105,000 - $145,800

  An interventional radiology nurse practitioner (IRNP) works in the radiology department to assist interventional radiologists with diagnostic imaging for each patient. As an interventional radiology nurse practitioner, your duties and responsibilities focus on helping the radiology team with explaining the procedure to patients as part of their treatment plan, gathering necessary information from patients, communicating with radiology staff about patients and procedures, monitoring patient progress, educating patients about after-care and future steps, and writing prescriptions, if necessary. IRNPs have verbal and written communication, interpersonal, critical thinking, problem-solving, assessment, and technical skills and excellent attention to detail.

• Ceo

  Salary range: $93,200 - $137,400

  A CEO is responsible for the health and success of a company, ensuring that their organization is following a guide or roadmap. In order to lead a company successfully, a CEO must be aware of competitors and market opportunities. This will help accelerate the company’s growth. These executives also need to be up-to-date on the most recent industry standards, trends, and developments to keep or gain an advantage over the competition. CEOs develop and establish a strategic plan that will provide the company with direction. They may also get advice from advisors, or a board of directors. Displaying strong leadership abilities and being able to earn respect is essential. The CEO needs to have a clear vision in mind of what the company will look like, in the immediate future, the near future, and the long-term. In fact, investors often ask CEOs about plans for the company, looking ahead three to five years. The CEO sets key performance indicators and holds their employees accountable to them. Beyond analytics, a CEO’s focus should also be to inspire their team. Ultimately, a CEO has to possess the ability to recognize patterns and know when and how to emulate or adopt what works for their competitors, or how they can take it to the next level.

• Salesforce Business Analyst

  Salary range: $99,200 - $136,100

  A Salesforce business analyst uses the proprietary Salesforce software to provide business and information solutions and cloud computing services to customers. As a Salesforce business analyst, your duties include analyzing customers’ cloud storage needs and providing an assessment of the most appropriate products for the customer to use. You are responsible for writing reports and creating documentation for the client, as well as reporting to the project manager about issues related to the implementation or maintenance of cloud systems.

• International Travel Nurse

  Salary range: $71,400 - $119,100

  As an international travel nurse, you have one of two roles. In the first role, you travel abroad after an outbreak of disease or a natural disaster to provide local agencies with additional help and support. Alternatively, as a traveling nurse, you remain within the country and focus on providing support to international visitors. In either role, you may travel abroad to develop your skills, coordinate with nonprofit care agencies throughout a country, and ensure you have a license to work wherever you travel. Nurses who go overseas can work in a clinic or hospital for weeks or months at a time, with schedules occasionally fluctuating as circumstances demand. Fixed-position roles usually focus more on providing care for people who are not used to the local health care system and need additional guidance.

• Construction

  Salary range: $69,000 - $112,300

  Construction jobs encompass a wide range of opportunities in the industry, ranging from carpenters and electricians to project managers and civil engineers. Construction professionals participate in a wide range of projects. There are residential projects, such as single family homes, small lot developments, or apartment buildings, commercial projects, such as building strip malls, industrial facilities or office buildings, and a range of infrastructure projects, such as public transit construction or building bridges. Your duties and responsibilities depend on the type of project and your role in the construction industry.

• Rn

  Salary range: $63,700 - $101,100

  An RN, short for Registered Nurse, works closely with doctors to provide patient care for illnesses and injuries. RNs are often the first medical professional the patient sees when entering a health care facility. As an RN, you can ask the patient questions and document their health history, but you are not allowed to diagnose patients; after the doctor or other supervising health care professional has determined what problem needs to be treated, you help administer treatment. Your job duties may include administering medications, checking patient vital signs, and charting medical records. RNs also advise patients and families about at-home care for medical conditions as well as disease prevention.

• Outpatient Clinic Rn

  Salary range: $63,200 - $97,700

  An outpatient clinic RN performs a variety of healthcare duties at an outpatient clinic in a hospital or an ambulatory care center. In an outpatient clinic, a patient does not need to make an appointment to see a nurse or physician. Your specific responsibilities depend on the type of clinic at which you work. For example, if you work at a hospital outpatient facility, you perform medical screenings and diagnostics and collect patient histories, which help you determine the level of care each patient needs. You also provide referral services when you determine if a patient needs to go to a specialist’s office.

• Forensic Nurse

  Salary range: $46,700 - $76,300

  As a forensic nurse, you provide care for patients who are victims of sexual assault and other crimes. Your responsibilities during medical exams are to counsel the patient and to collect forensic evidence, such as photographs of injuries, blood, bodily fluids, and tissue samples. Your job is to practice compassionate medical care while following the principles of forensic science. Your job duties include treating patients, collecting evidence, giving expert testimony at criminal trials, and collaborating with doctors and law enforcement officials.

• Accountant

  Salary range: $47,200 - $69,300

  Accountants record and analyze financial records for companies or individuals. Their job is to compile and verify all transactions and ensure that their clients are financially efficient as well as compliant with lawful business practices. Accountants handle a wide range of responsibilities, depending on their specialty. On a daily basis, they may review financial statements for quality assurance, verify transaction compliance, and document individual expenditures. They are also expected to make budget recommendations to increase the financial efficiency of their clients. During tax season, it is the job of an accountant to calculate taxes owed, prepare tax documents, and follow up on payments made to or received from the U.S. government. Occasionally, in smaller enterprises, an accountant may double as an auditor around tax season. Normally, an outside auditor is brought in to review the accountant's work.

• Hotel

  Salary range: $35,500 - $62,200

  Hotel jobs are jobs at hotels, motels, or other lodging establishments, such as a bed and breakfast or retreat. Your primary job duties depend on your position at the hotel. Housekeepers, for example, are responsible for ensuring that each guest’s room remains tidy and supplied with necessary amenities. Hotel desk clerks, meanwhile, are responsible for checking in guests and providing them with information about the hotel’s services and amenities. There are also a number of other service jobs connected to the hotel industry, such as chefs or room service workers.

• Payroll Specialist

  Salary range: $45,600 - $62,100

  A payroll specialist is a member of a company’s accounting team and is the person responsible for ensuring all employees are paid what they are owed. Payroll specialists must be organized and efficient. They keep track of employee wages, work hours, vacation time, and other data using accounting software. Depending on the size of the company, they may also be responsible for preparing tax records and presenting end-of-year financial information.

• Technical Support Specialist

  Salary range: $40,800 - $61,700

  A technical support specialist provides computer, electronics, or software support for a company or individual users. Their duties include working with the support team of a company and offering specialized support services for hardware, software, and network concerns. Responsibilities may include removing viruses, setting up new accounts, uploading software, and general troubleshooting.

• Auto Mechanic

  Salary range: $42,300 - $59,800

  An Auto Mechanic is a trained professional skilled at making repairs and performing regular maintenance for automobiles. Some Mechanics specialize in specific areas, such as brake jobs, transmission repairs, or muffler repairs and replacements, while others work in general shops that service all repair and maintenance needs. The main job of a Mechanic is to diagnose the issue at hand and find the most timely and cost-effective solution for the customer.

• Independent Courier

  Salary range: $33,400 - $56,200

  As an independent courier, your duties are to pick up, transport, and deliver documents, supplies, and packages. Some independent couriers make their deliveries via bike while other workers drive cars, vans, or delivery trucks. As an independent courier, you typically contract with your clients directly, rather than working through a courier service, although some couriers also find work through online services or job boards. To be an independent courier, you must have your own vehicle or another reliable method of transportation.

• Cna

  Salary range: $33,000 - $45,700

  A CNA, or certified nursing assistant or certified nursing aide, is an assistant to RNs (registered nurses) and LPNs (licensed practical nurses) on the medical staff. CNAs to tend to the patients within their ward, completing tasks that the RNs and LPNs may not have the time to complete. In some cases, a CNA may be the medical attendant a patient interacts with most frequently. Daily duties for a CNA may include bathing and grooming patients, assisting patients with the intake of food or medicine, checking vital signs, and dressing wounds. A CNA ensures that all rooms are tidy and sanitized, bedpans are empty, and linens are fresh. Additionally, a CNA should be comfortable documenting their patients’ conditions and any changes that may have occurred to communicate this information to the assigned nurses or physicians for each case.

• Data Entry

  Salary range: $33,000 - $44,200

  Data entry jobs involve typing information into electronic formats, whether that’s word processing, spreadsheets, or specific software. It’s a great career option for detail-oriented people—or even those who prefer to work remotely from home. Data entry jobs typically use a computer to enter data or information, often from a hard-copy paper format, into a software application. Some positions may include scanning documents and using optical character recognition or OCR. Some examples of data entry job duties include transcribing, updating customer information, and entering accounting records.

• Medical Courier Driver

  Salary range: $32,600 - $44,200

  A medical courier driver delivers critical medical items, which often include lab samples, medical records, test results, images, and specimens. Your responsibilities are to prepare and transport the items quickly and safely between the pick-up location and the destination. This could be between hospitals or from medical facilities to a third party lab. Couriers often interact with medical professionals like doctors, nurses, and lab technicians, and you utilize GPS technology to help you make deliveries. Unlike standard couriers, medical courier drivers must learn how to operate and handle the specialized equipment and vehicles to ensure the integrity of the sensitive materials you transport.

• Phlebotomist

  Salary range: $33,000 - $41,300

  Phlebotomists are medical professionals who draw blood and collect other samples for testing or donation. The samples are then sent to a medical lab for analysis; physicians use the results to diagnose conditions such as chronic disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Due to the high risk of spreading infection when handling blood and other tissue, Phlebotomists must ensure they wear gloves and that all their equipment is sterile. As a Phlebotomist, you need to cross-check all your labels to make sure they are accurate and match the patient. You may work with patients of many different ages—from newborns to elderly patients—so you should be friendly and learn how to interact well with all types of people.

• House Sitter

  Salary range: $28,200 - $38,400

  A house sitter stays in or visits a home while the owners are away for an extended period. Some house sitting jobs can be for any amount of time, from one night to several months. Some house sitters may only visit the home in their care during the day to collect mail and ensure the house is in good order for the homeowner’s return. Others stay overnight at the property, watering plants, caring for pets, performing maintenance, and keeping the home in good order. A house sitting gig is a great way to make some extra income and can save you money if you need short-term housing. Professional house sitters may work through a company or as individual freelancers by privately responding to listings.

• Private Security

  Salary range: $31,100 - $37,900

  Private security professionals protect people, property, businesses, event venues, or private homes. Private security workers work for companies and individuals instead of public agencies. Your duties involve using security techniques to protect assets and people or to control entry and access to a venue. Jobs titles in this field include armed and unarmed security guards, surveillance specialists, security managers, and security equipment technicians.

• Warehouse Worker

  Salary range: $28,300 - $34,500

  Warehouse Workers assist with all shipping, receiving, and inventory organization within the warehouse space. Their job is physical in nature and includes unloading and loading goods from trucks, picking designated items by hand or by forklift from a shelf, packaging these items, and preparing them for shipment. Warehouse Workers also move and transfer products between various sections of the warehouse and ensure that inventory is tracked and labeled correctly.

• Picker Packer

  Salary range: $29,200 - $34,000

  Picker packers find and collect merchandise in a warehouse and prepare the items for shipment to customers. As a picker packer, you use a computer or scanner to check inventory and locate items. You load items onto dollies or conveyer belts to move them throughout the distribution center, and then you assemble packages for shipping. The qualifications for picker packer jobs are physical strength and stamina, a strong work ethic, and excellent teamwork skills. With experience, you can move into team leader roles with more responsibilities.

• Restaurant Server

  Salary range: $19,400 - $31,100

  A restaurant server works in a restaurant, providing tableside customer service to restaurant patrons. As a restaurant server, your responsibilities and duties include greeting customers, taking their orders, bringing their food and drinks, checking to see that they are enjoying their dining experience, and clearing their plates when finished. You also complete side work which consists of cleaning and preparing the restaurant for the next shift. Your job is to represent the restaurant in a friendly, professional, and knowledgeable manner and provide excellent customer service.