Employment Counsel salary in Raleigh: $174,000
Employment counsel in Raleigh, NC earn a median of $174,000 in total compensation — roughly -11.7% versus the national median of $197,000 for this title. The typical range runs $136,000 to $237,000, with roughly $125,000 of that as base salary and the remainder in bonus and equity.
Median total comp
$174,000
base + bonus + equity
Typical base salary
$125,000
cash only
Cost-of-living adjusted
$176,000
COL index 99
Market movement
+4.9%
601 open legal roles
What an employment counsel role package looks like in Raleigh
Employment Counsel (sometimes Labor & Employment Counsel) partners day-to-day with HR on hiring, classification, accommodations, internal investigations, separations and reductions in force. Multi-state and multi-country coverage is the main pay differentiator.
Raleigh carries a cost-of-living index of 99 against a national baseline of 100, so the $174,000 median is worth about $176,000 in national purchasing power. Legal hiring in the metro is running +4.9% year over year across roughly 601 tracked openings, and demand scores 70 out of 100 in our benchmark set.
- Number of states or countries covered, and any unionized workforce exposure
- Internal investigations and executive separation experience
- Whether the role owns immigration, equity/comp or benefits questions as well
- Company headcount and growth or restructuring intensity
Raleigh versus other metros for employment counsel
| Metro | Median total | vs Raleigh | COL adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh, NC | $174,000 | — | $176,000 |
| San Francisco, CA | $245,000 | +40.8% | $135,000 |
| New York, NY | $231,000 | +32.8% | $138,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $223,000 | +28.2% | $147,000 |
| Boston, MA | $211,000 | +21.3% | $143,000 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $205,000 | +17.8% | $140,000 |
| Washington, DC | $203,000 | +16.7% | $142,000 |
| Austin, TX | $192,000 | +10.3% | $178,000 |
| Denver, CO | $189,000 | +8.6% | $163,000 |
| Chicago, IL | $187,000 | +7.5% | $167,000 |
| Dallas, TX | $181,000 | +4.0% | $177,000 |
| Atlanta, GA | $179,000 | +2.9% | $174,000 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $172,000 | -1.1% | $165,000 |
| Tampa, FL | $168,000 | -3.4% | $166,000 |
Total compensation medians as of August 2026. Directional market estimates, not offers.
Employment Counsel pay in Raleigh: common questions
- How much does an employment counsel role pay in Raleigh?
- The median total compensation for employment counsel in Raleigh, NC is $174,000 as of August 2026, with a typical range of $136,000 to $237,000. Roughly $125,000 of the median is base salary, with the remainder in bonus and equity.
- Is Employment Counsel pay in Raleigh above or below the national average?
- Raleigh pays below the national median for this title — $174,000 versus $197,000 nationally, a difference of about 11.7%. Adjusted for Raleigh's cost-of-living index of 99, the package is worth about $176,000 in national purchasing power.
- What is the base salary versus bonus and equity split for employment counsel in Raleigh?
- Base salary typically accounts for about $125,000 of the $174,000 median, or roughly 72%. The balance comes from annual bonus and equity, and the equity share rises sharply at venture-backed and public companies.
- Which US metro pays employment counsel the most?
- San Francisco, CA leads our benchmark set at $245,000 median total compensation for employment counsel. Cost of living offsets part of that advantage — on a cost-adjusted basis the ranking changes materially.
- What drives Employment Counsel compensation the most?
- Number of states or countries covered, and any unionized workforce exposure; Internal investigations and executive separation experience; Whether the role owns immigration, equity/comp or benefits questions as well; Company headcount and growth or restructuring intensity.
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