Mid-level Validation Engineer salary in Raleigh, NC

Based on 11 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Cary, Clayton, Wendell, Morrisville, Apex.

Median salary$90,608
Middle 50%$88.1k–$103.9k
vs. all levels here−18%comparison median $109,901
Filings11FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $86,310 and $127,213.
PercentileSalary
10th$88,088
25th$88,088
50th (median)$90,608
75th$103,918
90th$111,999

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $75k $100k FY2020: median $65,000 (15 filings) FY2021: median $87,048 (15 filings) FY2022: median $79,779 (12 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 15 filings FY20 FY2021: 15 filings FY21 FY2022: 12 filings FY22 FY2023: 5 filings FY23 FY2024: 3 filings FY24 FY2025: 9 filings FY25 FY2026: 2 filings FY26 15
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$65,000$62,050$70,00015
FY2021$87,048$73,923$102,25015
FY2022$79,779$76,211$87,10012
FY2023–––5
FY2024–––3
FY2025–––9
FY2026–––2

Cost of living

Raleigh's median mid-level Validation Engineer salary of $90,608 is worth about $92,300 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Raleigh = 98.2).

Compared with all workers here

All Validation Engineers in the Raleigh, NC area earned a median of $104,910 in May 2025 (970 employed). The H-1B median here is $90,608, 14% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
North Carolina State Universitytoo few3

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I too few 2
Mid-level · Level II $90,608 11
Senior · Level III too few 2
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Mid-level · Level II$88,088$90,60811

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.