Raleigh-Durham indexes 80/100 on the Class A Atlas talent index, with among the deepest tech and life-sciences talent pools in the us southeast — anchored by duke, unc chapel hill, and nc state.

• Talent index: 80/100 (NYC = 100 baseline).
• Corporate tax: 23%.
• Talent depth and rent curve are correlated — top talent markets carry top rent.

TL;DR

• Talent index: 80/100 (NYC = 100 baseline).
• Corporate tax: 23%.
• Talent depth and rent curve are correlated — top talent markets carry top rent.

Talent depth

Among the deepest tech and life-sciences talent pools in the US Southeast — anchored by Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State. Strong in-migration from the Northeast and West Coast continues to broaden the engineering and biotech base.

Cost-to-locate

Total cost of locating in Raleigh-Durham is the sum of rent, fit-out">fit-out, and salary delta vs. comparable markets. Use the City Comparator tool to benchmark Raleigh-Durham against peer cities on a single normalised view.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Is Raleigh-Durham a deep talent market for tech/finance?

Among the deepest tech and life-sciences talent pools in the US Southeast — anchored by Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State. Strong in-migration from the Northeast and West Coast continues to broaden the engineering and biotech base.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Class A Atlas Editorial Desk — House byline · global editorial team. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

• CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
• JLL Office Insight — JLL
• Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
• Savills World Research — Savills
• Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

Full sources index · Submit a correction

Related topics

• Workplace Talent Strategy — How office location, building tier, and workplace experience shape talent attraction and retention.